Salamander's eyes
by Nayeliq1
Summary: Newt Scamander was no man of big words. He had never been. But nevertheless, Tina seemed to have liked his awkward compliment in the french Ministry of Magic. Could there be any chance that she liked him the way he liked her? But as soon as he finds out, a letter arrives, a letter that could endanger everything they built up together...
1. Chapter 1

_Hi, I just wanted to say that this is my first try in writing fanfics, so I hope it didn't turn out completely terrible. I usually don't write much, but since I saw the second Fantastic Beasts, I hoped to find a story about Newt and Tina discussing their conversation au Ministère des Affaires Magiques, but I didn't so I thought I could give it a try myself. Finally, my native language is German, so I hope you can excuse my mistakes._

_Of course I do not own any of the characters or something else out of the fabulous Wizarding World our dear JK Rowling imagined so brilliantly. The dialogue in this first chapter is also partly taken from the screenplay of "The Crimes of Grindelwald"._

_o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o_

"Puis-je vous aider?"

"Yes", Newt began hesitantly, failing to hide his nervousness, "this is...Leta Lestrange. And I'm..I'm her-"  
"Fiancé", Tina finished his sentence, a forced smile on her face.

The woman in front of them flipped through a book, searching for the name on the page with the letter "L".  
"Allez-y", she said as her finger stopped, giving them a slightly distrustful look.

"Merci", Tina said, guiding Newt towards the entrance as hurriedly as possible without appearing too suspicious. She heard his muttered "Thank you" towards the french witch as they passed and immediately let go off him as soon as they reached the door.

Newt couldn't look at her, somehow relieved and distressed at the loss of contact, thinking only about what Tina had said - him being Leta's fiancé. He had to put this right, he knew, but where to begin?

"Tina, about that fiancée business..", he started when the doors had closed, leaving them alone in the dark silence.

"I'm sorry, yeah..I should have congratulated you", Tina interrupted him, trying to hide the hurt in her voice.

"No, that's-" Afraid of what he was going to say, Tina silenced him by lighting up her wand. "Lumos."  
She tried to focus on her environment, her eyes followed the beam of light the wand was radiating, desperate to keep the millions of thoughts buzzing through her mind quiet in equal measure.  
"Lestrange", she whispered in an attempt to find what they were looking for, but nothing happened. Nothing to help her focus on their task, nothing to distract her from thinking about Newt and Leta. To her great annoyance, Newt gave it a third try.

"Tina, about Leta-"

"Yes, I've just said I am happy for you!", she said a bit more loudly than intended. Her voice echoed from the walls, lost itself in the many corridors between an endless number of drawers.

"Yeah, well but...", Newt stuttered, not quite knowing how he should explain himself. "Don't- please don't be happy." The words were scarcely out when the look on her face made him suddenly realize how that must have sounded.

"No no, sorry, I-I don't...o-obviously I-", he tried again, dropping his wand in his haste to make her understand, "obviously I want you to be", he whispered while picking it up, his eyes fixed on the floor, "and I hear that you are now, which is wonderful...Sorry, what I'm trying to say is, I want you to be happy, but I don't want you to be happy that I'm happy because I'm not...".  
"Happy", he added, finally looking at her confused face.  
"Or engaged."

"What?" It was everything Tina was able to get out.

"It was a mistake in a stupid magazine", Newt explained, slightly more confident, "my brother's marrying Leta, June the sixth. I'm supposed to be best man..which is...sort of..mildly hilarious."

Confronted with this turn of events, unable to order the muddled mess in her heart and mind quickly enough, her voice acted without having been told to, asking the first thing that came to her mind.

"Does he think you're here to win her back?"  
Newt didn't answer and although Tina was afraid of what he might be going to say, she also craved for it, needed to have certainty.

"**Are** you here to win her back?", she repeated therefore, her voice sounding strangely in her ears, higher with emotion.

"No, I'm here...-" _because of you, _he thought, but he just couldn't say it out loud. Not here, not now, not yet.

Suddenly, his thoughts wandered to his conversation with Jacob before they had taken the portkey to Paris.  
_What do you think I should say to Tina if I see her?, _Newt had asked. Jacob told him not to plan it.  
_You know, you just say whatever comes to you in the moment. _It was no strength of his, being spontaneous, though. At least not with humans. And certainly not with her. Creatures were easier. They were less complicated, more predictable, the species-specific allowing a certain degree of estimation. Salamanders, for example-  
_She has eyes just like a salamander, _he had said to Jacob_._ And these eyes were looking at him right now, slightly unsure, but longing for him to speak.

"-you know, your eyes really are-", he heard himself say without having intended to.  
He broke off, forcing himself to avert his gaze from her face, looking at the floor again.

"Are what?", Tina asked, an undeniable spark of hope lighting up within her, but she didn't want him to notice yet, not until she could be sure how he felt.

"I'm not supposed to say", Newt replied, his promise to Jacob echoing in his ears. _Just don't mention salamanders, alright?_  
Tina was disappointed once more, but she recovered quickly at the sight of Newt - uncomfortable and somewhat...hopeless. A moment of silence, then both began to speak simultaneously.

"Newt, I read your book, and did you-?"  
"I got a picture of you- wait, did you read-?"

Tina looked at him in surprise and disbelief, not sure if she had heard correctly, but as he pulled the picture out of his breast pocket and unfolded it to show it to her, she felt just inordinately touched.

"I got this - I mean it's...just a picture of you..from the paper, but-", he stuttered obviously embarrassed, "it's interesting because your..y-your eyes in newsprint...See, in reality, they have this effect in them, Tina...it's like..it's like fire in water, in dark water. And I've only ever seen that-" He paused.  
"I've only ever seen that in-" He held himself back from saying the whole word, just the first letter on his lips.  
While still trying to decide if he could take the risk of finishing, Tina looked at him, a moved and knowing smile on her lips.

"Salamanders?", she asked gently, watching astonishment spreading over Newt's face. But before he had the chance to say anything, they were interrupted by a loud bang as the doors behind them flew open.


	2. Chapter 2

A few days had passed since their visit in the french Ministry of Magic and their search for Grindelwald had come to a standstill, leaving Tina at the mercy of her own thoughts. Thoughts about Newt. Memories of the two of them in the dark ministry corridor.  
_He is not engaged. _Her heart skipped at that thought.  
_And he said my eyes were like-. _But he hadn't finished his sentence. Why not? Maybe he was ashamed, regretted that he had even started to talk about her. About them.  
_Don't be stupid, Tina, _she admonished herself, _t__here is nothing like "the two of you"._ But still, she couldn't deny the small spark of hope that seemed to be stuck in her heart. If there was even the tiniest possibility, she just had to find out.

Slowly, Tina entered the case that lay open in Newt's bedroom, knowing that he would be down with his creatures. She looked around, still mesmerized by the beauty of his world. She spotted him looking after the occamys in their nest and stepped closer, unnoticed by Newt. She was startled at first when she heard his soft voice, but realizing that he was talking to the little snakelike creatures, a grin spread quietly across her face.  
"Yes, yes, alright, mum's here, you're fine."  
Lost in the sight, Tina stood silently until Newt suddenly turned around and saw her watching him.

"Tina!", he exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh yes, hey...", she muttered, awaking from her trance, "I..didn't want to interrupt you", she replied shyly, slightly embarrassed that she had been spotted staring at him.  
He waited for her to say something else, but when she remained silent, Newt found himself forced to continue.

"Well, what's the matter?"

"Oh...I...I came down because of..-", Tina drifted off, unsure if she should really admit why she was here.

"Yes?", Newt asked honestly interested. He seemed to be genuinely happy to see her and therefore, encoraged by his open smile and attentive eyes, Tina decided to give it a try.

"Well, I wondered...you see, I-I was wondering about..what you said..", she started, pausing to think about how to go on. Newt looked confused, a wrinkle appearing between his brows.

"What do you mean..?"

"Oh you know...", she stated evasively, "when we were looking for the Lestranges box, what you said..about..me and-" Once more she broke off when she saw the realization spreading across his face, somehow relieved and flustered in equal measure that they had gotten to the point.

"Oh." That was the only answer she got, so she was forced to continue herself.

"Yeah, me and...salamanders..and- stuff..", she added, forcing her eyes to leave the floor to look at the man before her, hopefully makeing out what he might be thinking.

"Yes, yes I -I'm sorry about that", Newt finally answered.  
"It was rather stupid of me, really. I don't know what I was thinking. Shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry, I was just..-", he lost the thread, staring at his shoes. Disappointment and hurt overcame Tina as the words sank in, but she somehow managed to keep it locked deep inside of her. Leading him to believe that she agreed, she continued with a voice full of feigned light-heartedness.

"Oh..no, no please don't worry about it, I was actually quite sure that you didn't **mean** it.." She was interrupted by his hurried voice, muddled but firm.

"No no, I- I meant it", he contradicted her rapidly,  
"I- I did. Mean it...I...just think it was a rather awkward way to...", his voice faded until he lost it completely, overrun by embarrassment, his cheeks turned red.

"You **did** mean it?", Tina whispered, unable to suppress the hopeful tone in her voice.

"Sure", he smiled weakly, lifting his eyes to her for a second, before quickly returning to their shoes, not noticing her mouth curling into a smile. He heard the emotion in her voice though, a shiver he couldn't quite estimate.

"Well, thank you then", Tina said, tears forming in her eyes.

"What on earth for?" There it was. This innocence that seemed to be reserved for him alone.

"For...saying it", she replied as she watched him, still staring to the ground.  
"I'm glad you did...it was actually the most wonderful compliment I've ever received..."

"Really..?", Newt sounded honestly surprised, but delighted, so he raised his gaze to meet hers. Now it was Tina's turn to look away in embarrassment.

"Yeah, so...thanks. Again", she said shyly, a smile on her lips. A few seconds of slightly awkward silence passed, neither of them knew what to say next, until the atmosphere led Tina to hurriedly say goodbye and she quickly turned around to leave.

"Tina!", she heard Newt call after her as she reached the shed with the ladder to his case.

"Yes?", she looked back, gazing at him hopefully when he came towards her.

"I just wanted to...-" Newt began. He seemed desperate to say something, but then...  
"You said you read my book?", he just asked.

"Ahh..yes", she replied, confused by his sudden change of temper. Surely, this was not what he had actually wanted to talk about?

"And...did you like it?", he asked a bit concerned, causing a grin to appear on Tina's face.

"Are you kidding? I loved it!", she exclaimed firmly, watching as Newt's face lit up in delight. She pictured herself in her appartment in New York, how she had been waiting for him to come back and hand her his copy how he had promised. How disappointed had she been when she received the parcel instead...but as soon as she opened the first page, she had found herself drowned in the lines of words, everything else forgotten, even if just for a short time.

"Do you remember when you went back to London after your first visit?", she suddenly asked, more calmly now.

"Of course", Newt replied, unsure about where this would lead.

"You said you'd changed."

"I did."

"Well, I've changed too, you know", Tina tried to explain,  
"I hope at least that I have..probably...I may have developed a.. different way of seeing magical creatures...and your book helped me even more to see them through your eyes..and that's...an amazing experience." She caught a glimpse of Newt, staring at her, listening.  
"I- I was truly fascinated by...-", Tina continued, a little distracted by the gaze she could almost feel lingering on her.  
"I-I mean..I would never make claims to being able to see them as you do..but- I try...and I think I'm..maybe a little-", she trailed off, struggling to find the right words.

"I think you are", she heard Newt's voice, so concentrated on her own search for words that she hadn't been paying attention to him at all.

"What?"

"You are. Able to see them as I do", Newt clarified,  
"Now at least. I'm quite sure you do...and..I'm very grateful that you try" -_for that reason alone I will love you forever_, he thought to himself. They smiled, looking at each other properly for the first time of their conversation.

"**I'm** grateful that you gave me the opportunity to", she smiled.

"Tina?"

"Yes?"

"Could you?...May I...I mean.." Newt turned his gaze down, causing Tina to exhale the breath she didn't even know she had been holding during their eye contact.  
"Would you mind if..." He raised his eyes from the floor, connecting them with hers once again. Gazing at her, he tried to find out what she was thinking. She seemed slightly unsure but a tiny smile had stolen itself on her lips, indicating another emotion, but...could it be...hope? Encouraged, Newt took a deep breath and stepped forward, leaving only a little gap between them.  
"Excuse me...", he breathed, cupping her face with his hands, and kissed her gently.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

The kiss was brief and took Tina completely by surprise, therefore, it ended before she had time to react properly. Newt pulled away from her, very insecure now that Tina hadn't responded.

"I-I'm so sorry", he muttered, his cheeks and ears turning red.  
"I'm not sure what came over me..I just...and you..well, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..-", he continued to stutter, looking everywhere but at Tina.

"Newt..." she tried to soothe him, wanting him to know that everything was alright, even better than that.

"So so sorry, I didn't mean to, actually...I mean, no, of course I did, but-", he continued.

"Newt", she tried again, more firmly. He didn't hear her at all, stuck in his desperate desire to explain himself.

"I really don't know what I was thinking, I wasn't thinking at all, to be honest, I'm-"

"Newt!", Tina said a third time, her voice growing louder.

"I hope you don't think I'm-..Wait, what?", Newt said a bit bewildered like if he had just woken up.

"Would you please stop babbling nonsense for a second?", Tina asked, her eyebrows raised at him, an amused smile playing around her lips.

"Stop doing-...what?" Newt was still confused, not sure how he should consider the situation.

Tina couldn't do anything but laugh at the totally distracted expression on his face. Thinking she should take him out of his misery, she stepped forward and pressed her lips against his. Newt nearly stumbled backwards in surprise, but she grabbed his coat and drew him even closer. Finally realising what happened, Newt relaxed and put his arms around Tina, returning the kiss.  
It was longer than the first one, but still gentle, cautious.  
When they finally parted, neither of them wanted to let go, so they just stood for a moment, arms put around the other, gazing into each other's eyes.

"I really don't know what to say..", Newt admitted, breaking the silence.

"Then say nothing", Tina told him.  
"You don't have to say anything."

She hugged him closer, resting her head at his chest, listening to his heartbeat, she could feel how he settled his chin on her hair.

They just hugged in silence, both in their own thoughts, simply enjoying the comforting proximity of the other. Tina was right, at this moment, nothing needed to be said.


	3. Chapter 3

Could it have happened? Or had it been a dream? Newt awoke the next morning, the thought of Tina and the events of the day before flooding through his mind. He smiled at the memory, still not quite believing that it could be true. She had kissed him, he had kissed her, **they** had kissed! He couldn't help but smile at the thought, but then it slowly faded away. They still hadn't talked about it yet.  
_You don't have to say anything, _Tina had said, and that was fine- for the moment. But Newt knew that they had to talk at some point, at least **he **had to.  
What were they now? They had been friends for so long, even though he had known for quite a long time that his feelings towards her were stronger than normal friendship. But what about Tina? Could he really be sure that she felt the same way? Yes, she had kissed him, but that could have been just out of the moment..maybe she was just searching for some comfort? After this hard time of loss and loneliness they had to endure because of Grindelwald?  
Maybe she did just need some support...no matter where? Or from whom?  
Newt sighed at that thought, praying that it wouldn't turn out to be true.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Tina lay in her bed, eyes closed, but she wasn't sleeping. Thoughts ran through her mind. About Newt. About them.  
_We kissed, _Tina thought. We...that sounded nice. But, was there a "we" now? She couldn't be sure, despite their kiss. She knew that Newt usually wasn't searching for contact and proximity as they had shared the other evening.  
_So, it has to mean something, hasn't it? _Anyway, they hadn't spoken about it yet. Tina knew that it wouldn't be avoidable and, if she was honest, she actually wanted to clarify the things between them. The only reason she was still lying in her bed instead of getting up and talking to him immediately was that she was afraid. Afraid of what he might say. That he wouldn't want their relationship to develop the way she wished it would.  
About two things she was quite sure: She knew what **she** wanted, and she knew that she was an important person to Newt -she could tell that out of his more relaxed behaviour around her- but she couldn't be sure **how **important.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Newt tried to put his insecurities about Tina aside, without much success. Whatever he did, even while spending time with his creatures, his thoughts were constantly circulating around one question: Was it possible that she loved him? How much he might wish this to be true, his mind seemed to work against him, listing all kinds of reasons why Tina couldn't possibly be even interested in him -let alone love him-, why he wasn't good enough for her.  
Finally giving up on trying to distract himself, Newt decided that the only way to free him from his worries was to face them. With a sigh, he began to ascend the ladder, climbing out of his case, closing it carefully to make sure that nothing could escape. Kneeling on the floor beside the case he stopped for a second, took one last deep breath before he got up and made his way out of his bedroom.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Tina sat on her bed, dressed, ready to get up, but she didn't. She knew that she would have to go to work soon and tried to decide if she should talk to Newt first. She sat motionless, staring at a point on the floor, trying to convince herself that having a talk with him was the only reasonable thing to do. Inside of her mind, she had a discussion with herself - her reason against her fear. Her fear of being disappointed and hurt.

_It won't do any good to just sit here and imagine what might happen, you have to find out! And the only way to achieve that is talking to him!_

_But what if he doesn't feel the same?_

_What if he does?_

_But how can I know?_

_Talk to him!_

_I can't! I wouldn't know what to say, and I can't risk telling him how I feel only for him to tell me that he doesn't reciprocate._

_And what if he does? If there is only the least chance that he does, don't you have to try it then?_

_I wished I could. But I just can't. __**I can't**__. I would risk to lose him forever if I tell him and he decides that we can't be friends anymore, with him knowing about my unrequited feelings. Better leave our relationship as it is than having none at all. Because I-I couldn't bear if-_

She was distracted by a sound requiring her attention. It was a knock. A knock at the door of her bedroom.

"Tina? Are you awake?", she heard Newt's voice through the door.

"Yes, I-...do come in."

He slowly opened the door, saw Tina sitting on her bed and stepped in hesitantly- he had never been in Tina's bedroom before and he felt a bit like he was penetrating in something private.

"Tina, I thought...maybe..we should...talk?", he began, standing in the middle of the room, looking around, unsure how to proceed.

"Yes...ah, yes, of course, I guess it might be best if we...", Tina replied, a bit nervous, patting on the bed beside her to indicate him to sit down, as he still stood in front of her, slightly awkward.

"Well, last evening has really been..-", he started while he sat down next to Tina, however leaving an appropriate gap between them.

"Hasn't it?", she agreed, not really knowing what she wanted to say.

"-quite...eventful", Newt finished, avoiding to describe it more specifically.

"You could say that, yes", Tina just replied, hoping that he would be the first to take the next step.  
And he did, after a few seconds of silence.

"And...would you mind if we...repeated...our, um...actions?", he finally dared to ask, his eyes fixed on the floor in front of him.

"Not at all", Tina answered truthfully. She was glad that she wouldn't have to bring the topic up herself now.  
"Would...Would **you**?", she added hesitantly.

"Me neither", he answered, smiling shyly to the floor.

Both relieved that the other didn't seem to regret what had happened, they raised their eyes, looking at each other, as Tina obviously remembered something. She glanced at her watch.

"Oh no, I'm very sorry, I don't want to leave, but, I should be going to work by now."  
She smiled at him apologetically.

"Oh. You're right. Go on then, I don't want you to be late...", Newt replied, hiding his disappointment. He had totally forgotten that Tina had to work and wouldn't be able to spend the day with him.

"Will you be alright, Newt? The whole day, all on your own?", Tina asked, for he couldn't dissimulate it from her completely.

"Don't worry about me, I quite enjoy being alone from time to time, you know. And I have my creatures to keep me company", he told her, trying to sound convincing.

"Well, I'll see you this evening and.. I'd like to continue our talk then..if...you're in agreement with that..", Tina tried to cheer up the atmosphere, but being so cautious not to show how she longed for their conversation, she sounded a bit more polite than she had intended.

"Of course", Newt replied, smiling weakly.

Tina arose from her bed and made her way to the door.

"Goodbye then", she said, turning around to face him a last time.  
"See you later."

"Goodbye, Tina."

Newt kept sitting on her bed for some time after she was gone, until he forced himself to get up and descend the ladder of his case to feed his creatures for breakfast.

He stayed in his case the whole day, pretending that he was working, while Tina sat in her office at MACUSA, neither of them able to concentrate properly.


	4. Chapter 4

"Newt, I'm home!"

Tina closed the door behind her, took off her coat and scarf and hung them up on the stand in the entrance hall, waiting for Newt to answer. Nothing.

"Newt?", she called again, making her way to his room.

No sound at all. _He must be in his case_, she thought and climbed in as well, searching for him. He was walking around, a bucket in each hand, feeding his creatures.

"Hey", Tina said to draw attention to her presence.

"Oh, hello, Tina." Newt turned around to greet her.

"Shall I come back later?", she asked, nodding towards the buckets, believing that he was busy.

"Oh no no, I've just finished actually, let me just bring that into the shed and then I'm all yours.. "  
He blushed as he realised his unfortunate choice of words. Tina couldn't help but smile, her eyes stuck at the ground.

He turned around and went into his shed to put everything back into place. As he walked back towards her, Tina noticed that his attire was far more casual than usually: His blue coat and yellow vest were missing, leaving him into just his white shirt- sleeves rolled up and the first two buttons open. Tina was captured by the sight of him, her heartbeat and breathing slightly quickening.

"And I really didn't disturb you?", she asked again to cover up her agitation.

"Not at all, I'm glad you're back. I...I've missed you..". He smiled at the ground in embarrassment.

"I've only been away for a couple of hours", she said without thinking.

"I-I know, I'm sorry..", Newt muttered, feeling stupid to have mentioned anything.

Tina realised that she had upset him by her rash remark and tried immediately to make up for it.  
"Oh no no, I'm sorry Newt..it's so nice of you to say-...to be honest...I've missed you too..", she admitted.

She wanted to look at him, but couldn't find the courage to do so while she said those words. Then suddenly, she felt his fingers gently touching her face as he stroked a strand of hair behind her ear, just as he had done at the port after his first visit. Raising her eyes as she felt his touch, Tina saw him gazing at her lovingly.

"Tina?..May I...kiss you again?"

She just nodded and closed her eyes as their lips touched. She couldn't understand how he did it, what was it that made her feel so sheltered and safe when Newt was around? Captured in this feeling, she was startled as Newt suddenly broke apart, turned around and threw himself on the floor, as if to catch something. Standing up again, he held the Niffler in his hands, writhing furiously in his attempt to get free.

"Give it back", Newt demanded, the Niffler just shook his head.

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep your paws off what doesn't belong to you?"

The Niffler looked at Tina, then back at Newt, a defiant expression on his face. Tina was confused, she didn't know what had happened before Newt had ended their kiss.

"Come on now, give it to me", Newt required again. The Niffler seemed to think about it, probably considering if he had a chance to get away without returning whatever he had nicked. Finally, he stretched out his paw to Newt, a necklace dangling from it that Tina recognized as her own. Surprised, Tina touched the spot around her neck where it had been only minutes ago. The Niffler must have pinched it while they were kissing, and Tina hadn't even been aware of it.

"Thank you very much", Newt said as he took the necklace and gave the Niffler a strict look. He looked back at him with puppy eyes, knowing that Newt wouldn't be able to stay mad when he did so.

"Oh don't do that, that's not fair", Newt told the Niffler, a playful note resonating in his voice.

The Niffler continued though, causing Newt to laugh out and shake his head in amusement.

"Alright, you little thief, we do a swap, ok? Here you go..", he said, putting one hand in his trouser pocket, still holding the Niffler with the other. He pulled out a golden coin and held it out to the Niffler who took it, examined it for a moment, nodded approvingly and put it into his pouch.

"Get away with you then", Newt smiled, putting the Niffler back to the ground.  
"And paws off Tina!", he shouted as he watched him running back to his nest.

"I'm sorry", Newt said as he turned around and walked back to Tina.

"No need to be", she replied, unable to hold back an amused smile.

"Well, you know him, he's-"

"-incorrigible, yes, I remember", Tina finished his sentence, smiling at the memory of their first encounter.  
"And I'm rather glad he is...otherwise, who knows if I would have met you?"

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Tina woke up because she heard a loud moan. Finding herself in darkness, she needed some time to find out where she was. The shed in Newt's case. Memories from the previous evening came to her mind. They had chatted a very long time about this and that, enjoying the company of the other, feeling valued while just being themselves. The last thing she could remember was lying in the mooncalves habitat beside Newt, looking at the night sky above. She must have fallen asleep and Newt had carried her into the shed, leaving the bed to her while he slept on the settee. That was where she spotted him, tossing and turning in his sleep. He moaned again and it sounded terrible to her. Tina got up immediately, crossed the room and kneeled down beside him, worrying as she saw the tensed expression on his face. She put her hand on his forehead and felt that it was covered in cold sweat. She wanted to wake him up, to release him from his obvious pain, but her mother had always told her that it was dangerous to stir someone from a bad dream. Therefore, she just put one hand on his arm and stroked his hair with the other, hoping that feeling her presence would comfort him. After a few minutes, she finally heard him talk in his sleep.

"No...no, please", he muttered.

"Don't...Don't take her away...Please, no, I-I can't-" Tina was desperate to help him, but she didn't know how.

"Don't leave me alone...please.." She couldn't stand it any longer, so she lowered her head and whispered words of comfort to him, hoping that he would notice.

"Please, Tina, don't-" She was startled by the sound of her own name.

"Don't leave me, Tina, please...you mustn't go with him...I love you."

Tina sat by his side, motionless, too many thoughts rushing through her head to focus on any of them. Newt kept turning restlessly, causing her to recover from her shock.

"It's alright", she whispered in his ear, "I'm here. I'm here with you and I'm not going anywhere. Everything's fine.." She kept talking like this, stroking his hair as she did, until he finally began to calm down and fell into a deep calm sleep, sighing contently as he leaned into her touch.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

The next time Tina woke up, the first thing she noticed was her aching back. She lifted her head from...well, from what? As her sleepiness slowly faded away, she was shocked to discover that she had fallen asleep on the floor next to Newt's settee, both of her hands on his arm and her head resting on his chest. She thanked god that Newt was still asleep- apparently, he hadn't noticed Tina's presence all night. She quickly got up and flitted back to her bed -well, Newt's bed actually - where she lay down and waited. It didn't take long until she heard Newt moving on the settee. She sat up and watched him as he stretched to drive away his stiffness. As he turned his head towards Tina, she smiled at him.

"Good morning", Tina said as Newt stood up and crossed the room to sit down on the bed.

"Morning, Tina", he replied. She could still see the signs of his restless night - His eyes were a little red, his hair even more dishevelled than usually and his whole body seemed to radiate exhaustion. However, he smiled as he sat down and looked at her.

"You didn't sleep very well last night, did you?", Tina dared to ask, although she already knew the answer.

"Actually, I didn't...how do you know?", Newt wondered, apparently unaware of his current appearance and the events of the night.

"Well, I heard you...last night..", Tina admitted shyly, remembering what exactly she had heard.

"Oh I'm sorry, I hope I didn't keep you awake..?", he asked concerned.

"Don't worry about that, it's just..-" Tina stopped, she somehow wanted to hell him what she had heard, but was unsure how to start, worried what he might say.

"What?" Uncertainty spread across his face. What could he have done that made Tina so obviously nervous?

"It's just that...did you know that you talk in your sleep?", she answered evasively.

This question surprised him and his mind immediately started to imagine the most dreadful possibilities of what he might have said, what **she** might have **heard**.

"No, I-I didn't know...what did you-...?", Newt replied, unable to form a full sentence.

"Oh you..were just muttering..couldn't understand everything, but...there was one thing..-I'm sorry, I'm not sure how to-", she said, searching for a way to broach the subject.

"Just say it, please, otherwise I'm beginning to get worried", he joked, trying to ease the tensed atmosphere.

"You said that you loved me."

He certainly hadn't been expecting that. Shocked, he opened his mouth a couple of times as if to say something, but then closed it again without doing so.

"I-I...I said...", he managed to get out, his head completely empty, as if every thought had been swept away.

"Oh Newt, please, don't worry", she said hurriedly.  
"I'm very well aware of the fact that you were asleep when you said it. And we all say things in our sleep that actually aren't..-I-I mean..you obviously didn't-...Well, you were almost unconscious after all, so..."

"No, no, Tina...Tina stop, please", Newt interrupted her.  
"I-I was asleep, yes, but...that doesn't mean that I didn't...well, o-obviously I didn't know what I was saying...No. Wait. That's not correct. I didn't know **that** I said it, but now that I **did** say it..I-I don't want you to think that I didn't mean it...because...I did. And do...", he murmured, head bowed, only just loud enough for her to understand.

She could only stare at him, unable to think clearly except for _He loves me, he really says that he loves me._ Tina's whole body was suddenly filled by an incredible feeling of happiness and lightness, she felt a smile appearing on her face and tears forming in her eyes, but she didn't care as they began to pour down her cheeks when Newt spoke again.

"But...that doesn't mean that I expect you to...reciprocate..I mean, how could you? Look at us, you're this...amazing, talented, beautiful..", he stuttered, blushing, "..and I'm..I'm just..-me.."

She wanted to say something, to release him by telling him how much she did return his affections, but he continued hastily before she had the chance to.

"So, really..em, you can just pretend that I didn't say it...in fact, let's just forget that I even said anything.."

He hadn't been able to look at her during his speech, but now he raised his eyes as he heard a noise that sounded like a sob. And yes, tears were streaming down her face, but at the same time, she smiled at him, the most wonderful smile he had ever seen.

"You can be such a stupid idiot sometimes, you know?", she said, her voice something between laughing and crying.

He didn't know what to say.

"But...the thing is..", she continued, stepping closer, "you're **my** stupid idiot, and I love you for it."


	5. Chapter 5

Newt stared at the smiling Tina in front of him, completely lost for words, as she leaned forward to kiss him. He put his arms around her waist and drew her closer, deepening the kiss. When they finally broke apart, they hugged each other.

"I love you", she whispered in his ear and Newt buried his face in her hair.

"I love you too", he murmured, an incredible feeling of pure bliss filling his whole body as he held her close, never wanting to let her go.

What brought them back to the present was a loud growl from Newt's stomach, demanding breakfast.

"I'm sorry", Newt said, slightly ashamed for having interrupted this wonderful moment.

Tina giggled. "Never mind, I'm hungry too", she said as she stood up and held her hand to Newt so she could help him up from the bed as well.

"Come on, let's get some breakfast. And it's Saturday, so we have the whole day just for us", she smiled a little mischievously, but blushed the next moment at her own words.

"Alright, no objections", Newt told her as he took her hand and followed her out of the shed.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Tina had prepared their breakfast while Newt was feeding his creatures, now they sat at the table after having finished and were discussing what to do with their free day together.

"We could also have a walk in the park, or..-", Newt suggested.

"Or maybe we could..", Tina started, unsure if he would think her too forward.

"Yes? Tell me, we can do whatever you want", he encouraged her.

"Well, I-I thought..maybe we could just...stay at home...and-", she took a deep breath, "spend time here, together...in your case or..wherever. That is, of course, if that's agreeable to you", she added quickly, concerned how he might react at the suggestion to be alone the whole day.

Newt was extremely delighted, for he had wished to suggest that himself, but hadn't been able to find the courage. "That would be very agreeable, Tina. Very much indeed", he answered shyly.

"Well, that's settled then", Tina said relieved.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

They sat on a bench in Newt's case, facing the creatures in their habitats. Newt had wrapped one arm around Tina's shoulders and she leaned against him, enjoying his comforting warmth.

"Tina?", Newt murmured into the silence.

"Hmmm?", she mumbled in return, her eyes closed, her head on his shoulder.

"Could you...could you say it again..? Please?", he asked, looking down at her as a smile appeared on her face.

She giggled under her breath. "Sure", she replied, eyes still closed, "I love you."

Newt sighed contently and kissed her hair. A few minutes passed again in silence, until...

"Tina?"

"Yes?"

"I wondered...well, I was wondering about...why?", Newt asked, looking into the distance.

"Why what?"

"Why do you love me?"

She opened her eyes, sat up and looked at him in confusion.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, you know, maybe I'm just being stupid, but...", Newt stuttered, watching his shoes,  
"I-I just can't think of anything why-...you see, I just feel like I'm not good enough for you, that maybe you would be happier with someone-"  
Tina interrupted him.

"Newt Scamander, will you stop talking like that immediately!", she said friendly but in a resolute tone, leaving no doubt about her words.  
"You **are** just being stupid, I can assure you that - very stupid in fact when you think you could get rid of me that easily.."

"Tina, I don't want to "get rid of you" as you call it, far from it", Newt replied a bit desperately, "it's just ... I can't imagine that you would be able to name only five reasons why you should love me..."

"You're right, I wouldn't", Tina said shortly, watching as Newt's expression became even more worried.  
"For the simple reason that it would be impossible for me to choose only five out of everything I love about you", she added warmly.

He looked at her, his face full of disbelief and doubt.

"You can't just believe me, can you?"  
He smiled at her apologetically.

"Well then, you think it might help if I told you some?", Tina asked calmly. She wanted to eliminate his doubts to the best of her ability, even though she was sad that he had some at all.

"I hope so", Newt whispered to the ground, smiling weakly.

"Alright, Newt, listen", Tina began firmly.  
"First of all, I love how different you are compared to everybody else I've ever met. The way you walk, your british accent that makes it difficult for Queenie to read your mind, I love the shabby blue coat that you wear and the way your hair is always slightly dishevelled. And well, you're quite handsome as well", she giggled as Newt blushed.  
"But that's only the little detail on the outside you know...I love your passion for everything that you do, the way you care for your creatures, I admire the courage you have to do the right thing just because it needs to be done.  
I love how you always see the best in everything and everyone, so I'm sure you believe me to be far better than I truly am or deserve to be seen. And the most important: Newt, I love the way you love, unconditionally, with all of your heart and soul - only because of that, I will love you forever."

He looked at her, tears in his eyes.

"I was right..", Newt finally said, smiling at her lovingly, "..I don't deserve you."

"Well, I won't contradict you for I know that you won't believe me anyway..although I think it's rather exactly the other way round", she smiled at him.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Newt had finally accepted the fact that Tina actually seemed to be in love with him, for she kept telling him incessantly.  
He just couldn't believe his luck to have won the heart of this wonderful woman. It was still difficult for him to understand how he had managed to do so, but he had stopped to question it, instead just enjoying the feeling of happiness he had whenever he thought about her and even more when she was around.  
Tina was glad to see that, for she wanted him to feel the same bliss she felt when they were together.  
Neither of them had ever been happier, until the arrival of a letter seemed to endanger their idyll.  
It was addressed to Newt and came from England, what surprised both of them, for Newt had never received post while he was in New York before.

"What is it?", Tina asked concerned while Newt read the letter, a wrinkle appearing between his brows.

"It's from my mother", he replied, his eyes still fixed on the paper in his hand.  
"She says she wants me to come to London..there is a celebration for my brother's engagement and out of reasons that I cannot comprehend my mother seems to think that my presence will be imperative..", he sighed, obviously not enthusiastic about visiting his home.

Tina couldn't help noticing that Newt had avoided his brother's name, as well as the name of his fiancée, Leta Lestrange.  
_Is she the reason why he doesn't want to visit his family? _The thought had occurred to her before she could prevent it.  
_Stop it, Tina!, _she admonished herself. _Don't wear yourself out by such stupid worries, you know that he loves you._ _Leta is just someone from his past. _  
But how much she tried to convince herself that there was no reason at all to worry, she couldn't get rid of the unpleasant feeling in her stomach.  
However, she felt obliged to encourage him to go, it was his family after all.

"Newt...I think you should go and visit them...I mean, it's your brother's engagement..and won't you be happy to see your parents again?", she therefore tried to persuade him.

"Perhaps you're right", he replied sadly. "Although I don't like the thought of leaving you..."  
A shy smile played around his lips.

"But, it won't take very long, will it?", Tina asked, her heart slightly aching at the thought of being parted from him.

"Well, I have to travel to England, spend some days there and come back...I doubt that I'll make it in less than a couple of weeks...", Newt answered downcast.  
"Unless..."  
A thought occurred to him.  
"Tina..would you mind..? What would you say if..if I asked you to accompany me?", he asked cautiously.

"You want me to come with you?", Tina asked, clearly surprised.  
"To England? To meet...your parents?"

"Well...yes..", Newt muttered.  
"But.. I totally understand if you don't want to, maybe the idea was stupid, I'm-"

"Newt, I would love to go with you", Tina interrupted him, her answer bringing a relieved smile on his face.

"You would? Really?"

"Of course", she assured him, "I've never been out of America before...and I'd like to meet your family." Both were overcome with happiness that they wouldn't have to part after all.

"Very well, then. I'll write to my mother, telling her that I'll arrive in about a week...and that I'll be in company. You can't imagine how surprised and delighted she'll be..she tried to marry me off for years, you know...", he told her a bit embarrassed, "obviously without much success- I wasn't very...receptive..to her attempts...", he smiled weakly.

"Well, I'm rather glad you weren't", Tina laughed lightly.  
"But are you sure that it won't be a problem? It's more of a family reunion after all...and I'm not-"

"It won't be, I promise. Don't you worry, Tina." _And in fact, you __**are**__ my family now, _he added in thoughts.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

It was the day of their departure to England, Tina's break from work was settled, all luggage packed and the creatures fed- everything ready for them to leave. Tina was already excited when they entered the ship in New York. She couldn't keep her feet calm, walked from one side to the other, looking over the handrail as the ship left the port.

"Calm down, Tina, we haven't even started properly yet", Newt said in amusement as he watched her running all over the deck.

"I know, but I can't help it. You've travelled all over the world so obviously, this is no big deal for you, but for me...you know I've never left America before!", she exclaimed against the wind as her eyes glanced over the sea.

"Everything will be fine", Newt assured her, stepping behind her as she leaned against the rail.

"I know it will", she replied, grabbing his hands from behind and wrapping them around her waist, "for I'll be with you, so what could possibly go wrong?", Tina smiled. She leaned against his chest and Newt placed his chin on her head as they both watched the last lights of New York fading away in the distance.


	6. Chapter 6

Tina's eyes went bigger while she examined the city of London coming closer as their ship came to the end of the journey. She didn't know where to look first, the plastered streets, the people hurrying from side to side in black coats, briefcases and umbrellas stuck under their arms, pigeons picking on the ground, the red buses and yellow taxis trying to make their way through, everything under a cloud-covered grey sky. Newt stood by her side and watched her as she caught the first glimpse of a different world.

"What do you think?", he asked, only a spark of concern in his voice.

"Well, it's quite wet, isn't it?", Tina joked.  
"And I love it!", she added quickly by the look of insecurity on his face. His expression changed immediately.

"Do you?", he asked happily.

"I surely do", she replied firmly, "and I can't wait for you to show me everything."

"We'll have to visit my parent's house first, I fear", Newt answered and Tina could hear regret in his tone.

"That's no problem at all", she therefore said as light-heartedly as she could manage.  
"I've been looking forward to meeting your family, and I'm sure you'll be glad to see them too", she told him, sounding a lot more confident than she actually felt, for she wasn't sure at all how Newt's parents would react to meeting her, despite what he had said about them being delighted. She was very eager indeed to learn more about Newt's home and family, but she still felt like some sort of intruder into a private family business. And how much she might wish to be or at least become part of that family, she knew that she couldn't claim to be just yet.  
_Not yet_, she thought hopefully. Could she really hope that Newt would...-  
_Stop that, Tina! You don't know if he even wants this life too so don't keep your hopes up just for them to get disappointed! , _she told herself.  
But even so...even so she couldn't get herself to give up the thought, the thought about Newt and her, being a proper family.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

"Welcome to my childhood", Newt said as they apparated in front of a beautiful old mansion, surrounded by a gracefully curved iron fence with a double-doored archway to enter. They stood on a tree-lined path made of pebbles that lead through the archway to the wooden entrance door of the house. Newt took her hand and they stood silently for a moment, Tina could just stare in amazement.

"What do you think?", he asked quietly.

"Newt, I-", Tina gasped, "it's just beautiful", she said, still unable to take her eyes off the house while Newt smiled at her in relief. He had hoped very much that she would like the place that had been his home for such a long time.

"Come on, then", he said more light-heartedly as he led her towards the entrance. They stopped in front of the fence gate because it seemed to be locked and also- a handle was nowhere to be seen.

"I thought you had told your mother that we'll arrive today", Tina said surprised.

"Oh yes, she knows of course", Newt muttered absent-mindedly while he was searching for something in his coat pockets.

"Well, why is it locked then?", Tina asked confused.

"Because...it always is", he answered. "It's enchanted, you see, only a member of the family is able to open it", he explained further, now rummaging around in the case that he had opened on the ground.

"Ah, there you are", he said, finally pulling out his wand.  
Newt stepped to the entrance and gave it a tap- the curved pattern changed, forming a door-handle, but it remained locked.

"Hippogriff", Newt said and Tina saw how the lock disappeared and the gate wings swang open.

"Come", Newt smiled, reaching again for Tina's hand. She took it gladly and followed him towards the house, while the gate closed itself behind them, the lock reappeared and the handle vanished.

When they arrived at the entrance door, Newt put his case down and held his fist up as if to knock, but then he hesitated and looked at the door in front of him, suddenly unsure. Tina watched his slightly tensed expression and squeezed his hand in support. Newt turned his head when he felt her touch and gazed down at her, receiving a beautiful and encouraging smile.

_It will all be alright_, he told himself, _Tina's presence will help me to get through this_. _Whatever "this" may be..._

So he smiled back, turned towards the door again, took a last deep breath and knocked.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Knock. Newt and Tina stood in a sort of tensed anticipation, both of them unsure about what was to happen, albeit for different reasons. A woman opened the door and Tina could tell at first sight that she had to be Newt's mother.

She was less freckled than Newt, only a few around her nose, but she had exactly the same green eyes. They sparkled with joy when she saw her son and a broad smile appeared on her face, a smile that Tina recognized as the one she loved but had only seen on a few occasions, when Newt was comfortable and really happy. Her red hair was pinned up loosely and streaked with grey, but it suited her very well, as did the simple but pretty dress that she wore, of which the colour matched her eyes.

"Mum", Newt said and smiled at her guardedly.

"Oh, come here!", his mother exclaimed and immediately pulled him into a warm hug.

"Mum, Mum it's alright, let me go, Mum", Tina heard Newt mutter, after what seemed like hours, when she showed no sign at all to release him again.  
"..Mum, please", he continued and Tina couldn't suppress an amused smile as she saw his face and ears turning red when his mother finally let him go.

"Oh don't pretend my dear!", Mrs Scamander scolded him,  
"It's all your fault that I'm in such need of affection and you know it, Newton Scamander! If you're uncomfortable with it, you should visit more often..", she said as she hit him playfully on the shoulder.  
"But you know I'm only kidding...", she continued warmly, and turned to face Tina who was only half successful in trying to hide the broad grin on her face.

"Don't you want to introduce me to this beautiful lady?", Mrs Scamander asked friendly, causing Tina to blush herself now.

"Oh yes, of course", Newt stuttered,  
"Tina, as you could hardly fail to see, that's my mother. Mum, that's my-...that's...Tina..."

Tina watched him as he turned his eyes down in embarrassment.  
_I'm his...what? What was he about to say?_, Tina asked herself. Distracting herself from that thought, Tina turned towards his mother.

"Mrs Scamander", she smiled at the other woman,  
"I'm delighted to meet you. I-I hope I'm not..intruding in anything but..I just couldn't refuse when Newt offered me the possibility to accompany him..", Tina added slightly nervous.

"Oh my dear, not at all, not at all", Newt's mother contradicted her immediately.  
"It's lovely to make your acquaintance..and call me Camille, please...you are the auror Newt met in New York last year, if I remember correctly?", she added then to Tina's surprise. It had never occurred to her that Newt could have mentioned her to anybody before, let alone to his mother.

"Yes, yes I am..", she replied therefore a little absent-minded, "I'm Newt's...-" The words were out before she knew how she should finish the sentence, so she broke off, but before she had come to a conclusion, Newt finished for her.

"-girlfriend, she is-...my..I mean..-", he started hastily and trailed off then, bowing his head to the ground as he blushed, but smiling shyly.

"Emm, yes..", Tina could only mutter, astonished, but utterly happy.

"Oh really?!", Camille exclaimed, who seemed neither less surprised nor blissful than Tina herself.  
"You can't imagine how delighted I am to hear that! Come in, come in, the rest of the family is waiting to see you two as well", she said excitedly as she led them into the house.

They entered a small but beautiful entrance hall, but Tina had no time to take a look at the room around her, for they were immediately greeted by a good-looking man in middle-age who turned out to be Newt's father. George Scamander was calmer and more reserved than his wife, but no less friendly as he hugged his son and shook hands with Tina afterwards as Camille introduced her.

"That's Tina", she explained to everyone.  
"She's Newt's **girlfriend** from America!", a clear accentuation on the word "girlfriend".

George raised his eyebrows at Newt and smiled at Tina, remaining far calmer than his wife at this message, but showing that he was delighted as well.

"A girlfriend, little brother?", a handsome young man exclaimed as he made his way past Newt's parents to hug him. He was very similar to Newt, only a bit taller and of a broader statue, but his voice and behaviour were completely different- upright and self-confident.

"Theseus", Newt said unemotionally, not reciprocating as his brother hugged him, but not fighting him off either.

"It's good to see you", Theseus said after he had let go.  
"And what kind of magical beast do you have to be obsessed with in your job?", he asked Tina, sounding a bit immodest.

"I'm indeed very impressed by everything Newt has invested in his case and his job, the occamys are my favourites, but I'm actually working for MACUSA", Tina replied as friendly as possible - she didn't like how little respect Theseus showed towards his brother and his work.

"For MACUSA?", Theseus asked surprised.

"Yes", Tina said shortly. She wasn't sure why she didn't tell him what exactly she worked as, maybe only to make the most of his suddenly uncertain expression.

"She's an auror!", Camille told Theseus excitedly as Tina apparently wasn't going to do so.

"Really?", Theseus asked, his eyebrows raised at his mother, then at Newt and finally at Tina herself, pure astonishment on his face.

"She is", Newt answered calmly as Tina stayed silent. Theseus seemed to have lost his words, unable to believe that Newt could be able to have an auror, the job he considered the most valuable, as his girlfriend.

"I am, yes", Tina finally said.  
"Is that so hard to believe?"

"No, no of course not", Theseus murmured, the turn of the conversation obviously awkward for him.

Newt for his part was fascinated by the view in front of him. His big brother Theseus, the war hero, the absolute image of pride and confidence, had been reprimanded by Tina in only a couple of minutes after their first meeting.  
_She really is incredible_, he thought by himself.  
_My Tina_..., he smiled silently.

Theseus cleared his throat to gain back his usual confidence and pointed with his hand across the room, where someone stood in the background, silent and unnoticed until now, when she stepped forward to stand by Theseus' side. The woman was young and remarkably beautiful, her shiny brown hair flooded in waves to her shoulders and her big dark eyes were fixed on Newt, insecure, but determined. Tina grabbed Newt's hand as she felt him tense next to her, his smile wiped away.

"Leta..", he whispered expressionlessly.


	7. Chapter 7

"Newt", Leta replied, sounding cautious. She didn't smile either, just holding eye-contact with Newt until he turned his gaze down. Tina looked back and forth between them, eager to be aware of every movement, even the smallest reaction. This was the moment she had secretly been afraid of, she knew that she had been, although she had tried to deny it, even to herself. But here they were at last, facing what Tina and Newt had both feared.

"It's nice to see you", Leta said softly.

Newt replied nothing, in fact, he didn't move at all.

"Don't you want to shake hands with me?", Leta asked a bit insistently. Tina could see how he pulled himself together as he stepped forward and slowly shook Leta's hand. She smiled now, what made her look even more beautiful. Tina felt the stabbing pain of jealousy, unable to do something against it. She had always thought herself rather plain, especially as compared to Queenie, but she had never minded it very much, until now, confronted with this extraordinarily beautiful woman in front of her, smiling at Newt in a way that Tina didn't like at all.

_At least, he seems to be uncomfortable in Leta's presence_, Tina noticed, trying to persuade herself more than anybody else.  
_But that isn't very unusual for him._ _And_ _you'd also feel uncomfortable if you'd meet someone you were in love with years ago...or still are_, it shot through her mind. Tina slightly shook her head in an attempt to get rid of these thoughts, focusing on the scene in front of her.

Theseus had interfered in the conversation, apparently unaware of the tensed atmosphere between his brother and fiancée.  
"Isn't it an interesting coincidence that we two fall in love after you were friends with Newt for so many years?", he had just said.

"Yes, it is, isn't it?", Leta agreed, trying to appear as light-hearted as Theseus, but in Tina's ears it sounded rather forced.  
"Don't you think so?" she asked in Newt's direction.

"Yes...yes it is, a coincidence indeed..", he muttered, sounding not very convincing. A moment of silence followed, nobody knew what to say until Leta finally addressed Tina.

"So", she said to interrupt the awkward silence, "and you're Newt's..-", she trailed off, trying to force the last word out as it seemed.

"-girlfriend, yes", Tina finished for her as friendly as she could, but unable to stop herself from accentuating the "girlfriend".  
"Nice to meet you", she said and shook Leta's hand as well, while trying to figure out what the other woman was thinking- unsuccessfully, Leta's expression didn't change at all.  
_Either she really doesn't care about Newt, or she's just a good actress_, Tina thought to herself, unsure which possibility was more likely.

"My pleasure", Leta replied, not looking pleased at all. She turned towards Newt again, holding Theseus' arm as she spoke.  
"I'm so glad that you came, you know...we both are", she added, sharing a look with Theseus.  
"We truly are", Theseus agreed firmly.

Newt said nothing, he just kept staring at the couple in front of him as his brother wrapped his arm around Leta's waist. Tina could only stand next to them while Newt seemed to be hypnotized. Helplessly, she grabbed his hand and really, this seemed to wake him up, for he blinked a couple of times, threw a sideglance at the anxious-looking Tina by his side and squeezed her hand then, as if to tell her that he was all right.

"Of course I came", he then managed to say, his voice as close to his normal tone that probably only Tina was able to hear that there was something else hidden in it, but she couldn't quite make out what it was.  
"My brother's not getting engaged every day after all...and I had to visit soon anyway", he added, smiling down at Tina who was still holding his hand, "for I had to introduce Tina to the rest of my family.."

_The __**rest**__ of his family_, Tina repeated in her mind.  
_That would indicate that I-_ , she didn't dare to bring the thought to an end, for she was afraid she wouldn't be able to hide her total happiness then. Leta seemed to have noticed the choice of words as well, but it didn't wake the same emotions in her at all.

Camille, who had been distinctively silent during this awkward reunion, stepped forward now. She felt the strange atmosphere too, but as she knew where it came from, she had thought it best not to interfere at first. But talking about Tina seemed to have changed Newt's temper, he was instantly more relaxed and comfortable as he focused on her, causing his mother to consider it a good moment to finally participate in the conversation.

"You had to indeed", she said, smiling at Newt and Tina, "and we're very happy to have her here."

"Thank you Mrs Sca-..Camille", Tina said, truly touched that she was welcomed so warmly- well, by most of them at least.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

After their first meeting with Newt's family, everybody had agreed to go to their rooms until the guests would arrive for the party this evening. Newt had showed Tina to her room, not far from the big staircase that led from the first floor with all the rooms for public occasions (as a salon, the library and even -although not very big- a ballroom, where the party would take place) to the second floor, where the private family rooms were located. There was also a wing with guest bedrooms, that Tina had considered more appropriate for her, but Newt and also his mother had insisted on her staying near the family. That her room was in fact directly beside Newt's gave Tina butterflies in her stomach, but she couldn't quite make out if they were of the more comfortable or uncomfortable nature- maybe a combination of both.

Because they still had a couple of hours before they would have to get ready for the evening, Newt had offered to show Tina around the house and the gardens, no need to say that she was very pleased to accept. They were now almost done with the interior of the mansion and Tina couldn't stop to be astonished by the sheer beauty and grace of his parental home. You would think that she had gotten kind of used to it after seeing what felt like a thousand rooms already, but she found another aspect to admire in every single one of them- a chandelier in the ballroom, an old portrait, a clock, the pattern of a wallpaper...all showing that the Scamanders were an old and respected family of the british wizarding community, in no lack of money at all, but at the same time, everything in the furnishing was so accurately and wonderfully balanced that you didn't feel overwhelmed by anything- allowing you space to marvel without forcing its grandeur on you.

"I know, probably...you think it's a bit much...", Newt said slightly embarrassed when they finally stepped outside in the garden.  
"But for me...it's..just the place where I grew up...", he smiled weakly.

"I can't deny that I was a bit...surprised..amazed in fact, when we first apparated", Tina admitted, smiling back at him.  
"By what I knew about you...I wouldn't have thought you to be..you know...the type for...-"

"But I like it very much!", she assured him when she saw his expression, "really Newt, it's just wonderful..."  
They had begun to walk down a path between flowerbeds and hedges made of box-trees, the pebbles were crunching under their feet. It was hard for Tina to decide where to look, divided between the landscape around and the man next to her. Her gaze finally wandered into the distance, until Newt demanded her attention by speaking again.

"I'm so glad that you say that", he told her, his eyes on the path in front of him, "because..this place is very important to me and...", he sighed, "so are you..so, I hoped very much that you would like it."  
She saw how he blushed at that statement and so did she, not knowing what she could reply to this, so she just took his hand instead and squeezed it lightly, hoping that he would understand her meaning.

They strolled on for a while, comfortable with the silence between them, leaving both to their thoughts. And although she didn't want to think about it now, Tina's mind constantly glided back to the meeting with Leta. She couldn't quite estimate the strange atmosphere between Leta and Newt, but, to be honest- how should she? She didn't know much about their relationship, in fact, she knew nothing but that Leta was a friend from Newt's past he didn't like to talk about. Of course, Queenie's knowledge was far more extensive and she would have told Tina if she had asked her to, but Tina had decided that it wasn't up to her to make that decision. At the time Queenie had told her about that photograph Newt kept in his shed, Leta's photograph, it had distressed her more than she had been willing to acknowledge towards herself or her sister. But despite the clear temptation to ask more about the matter, she knew that it was neither Queenie's secret to tell, nor her own right to know until Newt decided to open up to her himself. This decision began to sway though, now that Leta had transformed from a photograph into a tangible human being. She longed more than ever for him to tell her about his past, she couldn't stand the uncertainty about what had happened between him and Leta, for nothing that Newt confessed could be worse than what her mind imagined.

_But I can't just ask him, can I?_, she wondered.  
_Shouldn't I wait until he brings it up himself? It's his story after all...but maybe he'll never tell me of his own accord..._

Tina kept rolling these considerations in her head until she was distracted by them reaching the top of a hill from where they were able to see something that looked like stables in a short distance, just at the edge of a forest and a lake.

"That's where my mother breeds her hippogriffs", Newt explained to her.  
"You know, as a child, I used to sneak outside to visit them when I was supposed to do my homework or even in the evenings when everyone had gone to bed...", he told her. "Watching my mother care for them and helping her was what raised my interest in magical beasts in the first place."

"May I see them?", Tina asked cautiously, she wished to learn more about this important part of Newt's childhood, but was unsure if it would be appropriate for her, as the hippogriffs belonged to the family.

"Of course, if you want to...", Newt smiled at her in delight when she nodded excitedly.  
"Come", he said while he grabbed her hand and guided her down the hill towards the stables.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hey, this chapter will include some "facts" or more likely "not-facts" about the hippogriffs, they're all completely made up by me and will surely collide with or even contradict what JK Rowling (or rather Newt Scamander;) wrote about them in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them"._

_I'm sorry if that will trouble some of those who read the book but I didn't know what it says about hippogriffs and was too lazy to look it up._

_o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o_

When they reached the entrance, Tina could already hear the hippogriffs in a short distance. She headed towards the door, but Newt pulled her in another direction, past the wooden building.

"By this time of season, they're outside most of the time", he explained while they went around the wooden stables. "The boxes inside are only used when the weather or the state of health of one of them requires it. But most of the time Mum tries to keep them as close to their natural habitat as possible. That's why we decided to use this place", he explained and pointed to the spot where Tina could finally see the herd. They stood on grassland, at the edge of the lake and forest.

"You see, although the hippogriff is a carnivore, they like grass under their feet, the forest offers them protection and the possibility to hide and hunt, although we also feed them of course, and the lake is a source of water in the first place, but hippogriffs also like to...well..you can only call it to slosh about, especially when they're young", Newt told her, sounding as if he was reciting from his book.

Tina loved to listen when he was talking about a creature, he seemed to become a completely different person then- his tone was far more confident, his body language changed to less defendant and he smiled ceaselessly, it was just obvious how passionate he was about everything that was related to his work. Captured in the sight and sound of this transformed Newt, she noticed just yet that she had been staring at him and looked away in embarrassment, blushing. Newt hadn't noticed it at all while her gaze had been resting on him, for he was completely occupied with the description of the hippogriffs. But now as he paused and looked at her facing the ground, he misread the sign.

"I'm sorry", he muttered, thinking he may have bored her, "I don't know why I don't seem to be able to stop myself from talking so much about every creature I see to everyone who does or doesn't care to hear it...it's often annoying people, I know...", he said, a sad smile on his face.

Tina was puzzled by his sudden change of temper, for she couldn't know what had caused it.  
"What? I-...Newt, I enjoy listening to you very much", she told him truthfully.  
"Honestly", she added emphatically, "please feel free to tell me as much as you like about every creature that comes to your mind." She laughed lightly at his doubtful expression.

"Really?", he asked, his tone matching his face, though she also recognized a small spark of hope in it, "Are you sure?"

"Completely", she laughed.

"Well then...", he grinned and went on with his explanations, Tina listened with interest, fascinated by his unbelievable amount of knowledge and love for what he talked about. In the meantime, they had reached the herd and Tina noticed that there was no fence or other sorts of barrier to be seen.

"Aren't they fenced in?" she asked astonished. "I mean, not by an actual fence of course, as they can fly, but...don't you have some kind of...-" She trailed off, thinking that the question had been stupid now that she heard her own words. But Newt didn't seem to think so, for the look he gave her was just full of happiness- it was the joy about her showing so much interest in what he loved most, apart from Tina herself.

"No no, there's no need to do so", Newt told her. "See, hippogriffs are gregarious animals, comparable to horses, with a hierarchical order within each herd. The leader chooses the place to stay and the rest will follow. Besides, they're quite attached to one place they consider as something like their "home", and because most of them were born here, that's where they stay without us having to make them."

"Oh, I see", Tina said, relieved that he didn't find her question ridiculous.

"Would you like to have a closer look?", Newt asked suddenly.

"O-of course", she stuttered, taken by surprise.

They walked closer, slowing down as they came nearer, until Newt reached out his flat hand, indicating her to stop. He pointed at a beautiful hippogriff covered in shimmering silvery grey feathers.

"That's Silver-lining", he whispered towards Tina, "she's one of the first that were born here, I helped my mother raising her when I was a child."  
"Stay there", he told Tina then, smiling at her before he turned to the hippogriff, took another step forward and bowed deferentially. The hippogriff examined him for a couple of seconds and repeated his actions then, while Tina watched in awe.  
Newt straightened up again, completely relaxed now as he walked towards Silver-lining and stroked her neck, smiling happily. Tina was completely fascinated at first, but this feeling turned into slight shock when Newt beckoned her over. Tina pointed at herself, eyebrows raised in surprise, unsure if she had understood his meaning correctly. She could see how he chuckled, lightly shaking his head in amusement while he continued to stroke the hippogriff. He waved again, nodding towards her approvingly and Tina took a cautious step forward.

"Come on", he called when he saw that she was still uncertain, "it's alright, come over here."

Encouraged, but still nervous, Tina did as she was told. Silver-lining followed her with her eyes as she came closer, causing Tina to take a deep breath to calm herself. Newt held out his free hand to her when she reached him and she took it gladly, relieved at this gesture of support- and really, feeling his touch made her calm down instantly. Newt smiled as he watched her gazing at the hippogriff, so many emotions in her eyes, she was impressed and fascinated by the wonderful creature in front of her, slightly intimidated as well, but above all blissfully happy to be able to share this special moment with Newt.

"You can touch her if you like", he said softly, nodding towards the beautiful feathers on the hippogriff's neck. Tina was lost for words, she could only look at Newt, but her eyes told him what she wanted to say. She turned towards the creature and with a quick side glance at Newt's encouraging smile, Tina lifted one hand, leaving only a small gap between her and the hippogriff. Her hand trembled slightly as Tina closed her eyes, gathering herself, when she suddenly felt another hand on her own, interlocking their fingers and gently pushing her forward until her hand touched the soft feathers. She opened her eyes and stared at her hand under Newt's as they began to stroke the hippogriff's neck. Tina felt a smile spreading on her face.

"Newt", she whispered breathlessly, "that's...incredible!"  
Newt smiled back at her, the broadest smile she had ever seen on his face, but there was also something else in his expression..a hint of..mischivousness?

"Well then, Miss Goldstein", he grinned, letting go of her hand, but offering it to her again in the next moment, "did you ever fly before?"

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Tina stared at his grinning face in disbelief, her mouth slightly open. Newt chuckled at her shocked expression and climbed in one fluent movement on the back of the hippogriff as if he had done so a thousand times before.  
_And maybe he has_, she wondered.

"Come on", he said, offering his hand to her to help her up.

"There's no need to be afraid", he said softly when she hesitated.  
"I won't let you fall, I promise. I've got you, Tina."

A memory flashed through her mind, the room with the death potion, the swooping evil and Newt, Newt who told her that he would catch her. Without thinking, she took his hand, a strange combination of feelings in her stomach- on one hand, she was still afraid, but then again, somehow this memory had raised a sort of subconscious certainty that nothing could happen to her when Newt was around.  
He helped her to get on the hippogriff's back, where she sat behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist in anticipation.

"Hold on tight", Newt told her and gave Silver-lining a sign to move. She grabbed Newt even closer, burying her face in his shoulder and closing her eyes while she felt the rhythmical movements of the galloping hippogriff. And then suddenly, the shaking stopped and it became calm and silent around her, nevertheless, Tina didn't dare to move.

"Tina", even without seeing his face she could hear the smile in his whisper.

"Open your eyes."

She obeyed hesitantly, turning her face to one side but still pressed against Newt's back she opened one of her eyes just a smidge. They were flying, the hippogriff glided calmly over the forest, just high enough not to touch the treetops with its claws. Without thinking about it, Tina opened both of her eyes and relaxed, loosening her tight grip at Newt a little, she felt the wind on her face and saw it playing in his hair. Newt turned his head to see if she was alright and was rewarded with the most wonderful smile. Newt's own grin widened at this sight. He could have said something, but the wind roared in their ears and they both knew what the other felt anyway, so Newt looked ahead and lead Silver-lining towards the lake that glistened in the afternoon sun. Tina had to tighten her grab again as the hippogriff started a nosedive, stopping only inches above the surface, gliding over it with one of its claws touching the water. Tina leaned forward, just a little bit, so she could see her own image mirrored on the smooth surface, smiling up at her. She watched her own reflection resting her head on Newt's back and she could see his image throwing a glance back at her, smiling happily. They flew like this in comfortable silence for what felt like hours, but nevertheless, neither of them wanted it to end as they finally reached the herd again. However, Newt knew that they had to because the engagement party was drawing nearer, only by the thought of it he felt his stomach contact uncomfortably. Silver-lining landed softly on the grass near the rest of the herd and he climbed off himself. Then, without thinking about it, he put his hands around Tina's waist to lift her down. Taking her by surprise, she stumbled slightly when he put her on the ground, causing that Tina had to grab his arms that were still on her side to steady herself. She blushed, only partly because of her clumsiness but also because of the proximity it had created, their noses nearly touching.

"Sorry...", she mumbled, stroking a strand of hair behind her ear in embarrassment. Newt replied nothing, he only gave her a wry smile as they continued to stand like this between the hippogriffs, slightly awkward, but neither of them willing or having the strength to let go.

"Newt, I-...that was-...I don't know, it's just-...Thank you", Tina breathed to break the silence, but unable to focus enough to form a full sentence, the intensity and emotion of the flight and the moment overwhelming her.

"I know", he said softly,  
"be assured that it was entirely my pleasure.."

They looked at each other, enjoying this moment of bliss together, when Tina suddenly noticed a flicker in his eyes and his smile fading a little.

"We'll have to return to the house", he said, she heard how he tried to suppress the regret in his voice.  
"It won't be long now until the guests arrive and we'll need some time to get ready."

"You're right", Tina sighed, no more thrilled about this prospect than he was, but also knowing that there would be no way around it.  
"Come on, let's go", she said, trying to sound at least a little enthusiastic for him.

They walked back in silence, holding hands, but when they had nearly reached the door, Tina hesitated.

"Newt, wait", she said as she stopped.

"What is it?" He had barely turned around when Tina was already kissing him. He hadn't been expecting that, but recovered quickly, wrapping his arms around her and returning the kiss. When she pulled away, Tina put her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"What was that for?", Newt whispered in her hair.  
"Not that I'd be complaining, of course..."

"I wanted to thank you properly before we get inside", Tina answered lovingly.  
"This afternoon has really been wonderful, thanks to you.."

"Well...", he said and she could hear the smile in his voice,  
"after this...demonstration of gratitude, it seems to me that I made the better deal in this exchange..."


	9. Chapter 9

Tina was sitting in her room, staring absent-mindedly at a point on the wall, remembering the events of the afternoon. It had all been just perfect, the visit of the mansion, their stroll in the garden, Newt teaching her about hippogriffs, the flight, and finally..the kiss. Her fingers brushed over her lips where she still seemed to feel his touch. Newt had escorted Tina to her room afterwards so they could get ready and told her that he would pick her up at the foot of the big staircase at 8 o'clock when the party began.  
The engagement party. The day had been so wonderful so far that it had made her forget about this rather unpleasant part of the evening, the reason why they had come to England in the first place. But now it was back, dominating her thoughts as she stood up and walked over to her suitcase. She dreaded such occasions, where she had to spend time among large groups of people she didn't know at all, pretending that she was enjoying herself while she counted the seconds until she could leave without appearing impolite. And as if that wouldn't have been enough, the thought of Leta flushed through her mind. She had to admit though that she wasn't as worried about her as she had been directly after their meeting, the afternoon had assured her once more that Newt had feelings for her, so she wasn't so worried about him anymore. But Leta on the other hand... the worst thing about her was that Tina couldn't estimate her at all, it made her feel helpless- in her job she was used to keeping control in almost every situation, Tina hated to feel powerless against something or, in this case, rather some**one**. She had tried to convince herself that she had no reason to worry, that she was just imagining things, but her mind worked against her, memories rising to the surface, of the way Leta had smiled at Newt, the tone of her voice when she addressed him, how she told him how glad she was to see him, her reaction to Tina being introduced as Newt's girlfriend. She shook her head to get rid of all this, focusing on the contents of her case that lay open on the big bed. She hadn't been sure what to pack in New York, so there were several dresses for different degrees of elegance she could choose from, depending on how fashionable she had or wanted to look. She tried on every single one, looking in the mirror and comparing them until she had decided which one to wear. She was surprised about her own choice, for this wasn't her usual style at all- maybe her sub-conscience had induced her to it, feeling to be in a sort of competition with Leta. Tina scolded herself for the ridiculousness of that thought, but she couldn't help it nonetheless. She even added a hint of make-up to round off her appearance, something she normally only did when Queenie forced her to. She looked at the clock on the wall- almost eight. She sighed, and with one last side glance in the mirror, Tina left her room and made her way to the staircase.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Newt stood at the foot of the stairs, waiting for Tina in nervous anticipation. Usually, he hated events like this, crowded places, filled with people he had nothing in common with, nothing to share or talk about but meaningless trivialities out of politeness. He had always tried to avoid such things and had left as soon as possible if he hadn't managed to find an excuse in the first place. This time it was different, even with the smart suit he always felt uncomfortable in and considered not quite fitting to who he was as a person, at least a part of him was even looking forward to this evening, and he knew that this had only to do with Tina. Her presence made him feel relaxed and comfortable wherever they were and although he couldn't ban Leta from his mind completely, she retreated into the background by the prospect of spending this otherwise unpleasant evening with Tina. His thoughts were disturbed by the sound of steps on the second floor, growing louder as they came towards the staircase. Newt took a look up to the top of the stairs and there she was, lifting the edge of her black dress so she could walk down easier, her other hand gliding over the banister.  
Newt couldn't take his eyes off her. Of course, he had always thought her beautiful, but the view of her walking down the stairs now- he thought he might never have seen anything more breathtaking. Her hair was nearly the same as usually, smooth and shiny, but with a clip on the right side that matched the lace on the top part of her dress. The dress itself was all in black, but it didn't need colour to draw attention to it. The top part was covered in a floral patterned lace, finishing at a high waist, from where smooth black fabric flooded down, ending just above the floor, where it created waves when she moved. Above the chest, her shoulders and arms were covered by a nearly transparent black material, running down her arms before the half long sleeves ended in the lace again. What Newt couldn't see yet was the v-shaped cut that went down half of her back, Tina had covered it with a matching black scarf that kept away the cold and made her feel more secure about her appearance. She smiled shyly when she reached him, realizing the look on his face.

"What do you think, Mr Scamander, will I do?", Tina asked, facing the floor.

"C-ccc-certainly", Newt muttered, his eyes still stuck on her.  
"You look...very..- just..beautiful", he stuttered, finally removing his gaze, turning it to the ground as he did so often.

Tina mirrored his action, always deeply embarrassed when someone complimented her, especially about her physical appearance, for she wasn't used to it.

"Thank you", she said.  
"I..wasn't quite sure about..what to wear...I hope it will be-"

She had meant to say "appropriate", but was cut off by Newt.

"Perfect, it's...you'll be just..perfect...", he trailed off, the last word nothing more than a whisper, but his eyes resting on her face, so he saw the smile appearing on her lips. Tina didn't know what to say, overcome by emotion, so she focused on him properly now. It was somehow strange and unfamiliar to see Newt in anything but his typical yellow vest and blue coat, she couldn't deny though that it suited him very well indeed, but still, Tina prefered his usual attire, for she found that it kind of reflected his personality, represented what she loved about him.  
_But_ _he could wear anything and I'd always find him handsome_, she thought to herself.

"You don't look that bad yourself", Tina said, causing Newt to blush.

"You think so?" he asked.  
"I don't like to wear stuff like this at all...I-I somehow don't think that it fits me-...you know...", he admitted, smiling weakly.

She knew exactly what he meant, having the same sensation with her outfit.

"I do", she smiled.  
"We two don't seem to fit in all of this..."

"No, not really.."

"But-", she continued, grabbing his hand, "maybe we could get to be comfortable...by..well, being uncomfortable **together**", she smiled.

"Yes", he replied, unable to hold back a grin, "yes, that would be lovely.."

"Shall we go then?", he asked, offering his arm to her. Tina nodded as she took it and they paused as both of them took a deep breath, making themselves ready, still nervous but confident that they could face whatever was to come, together.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

When they walked into the ballroom, it was already crowded with people, so nobody seemed to notice their arrival. Both were rather glad about it, neither very eager to draw attention to them.

"Would you like something to drink?", Newt asked, stopping at the edge of the crowd.

"Why not..", Tina replied, thinking that it might help to get them through this most likely long evening.

"Wait here. I'll get something", Newt told her, turning around to make his way through the mass of people.

"But..", Tina began, reaching for his arm, but he had already disappeared. She stayed where he had left her, a bit lost now that she was alone, Tina tried to get an idea of her surroundings. As expected, she didn't find any familiar faces except for those she had met this morning..yes, it had really been this morning that they had arrived in England, although it seemed rather like weeks to her. Tina scanned the room, taking in every detail as she was used to doing at work. The beautiful chandelier she had already admired earlier was all lighted up now, the light was reflected by each crystal, making them sparkle and creating a pattern of light spots on the ceiling. The ceiling itself drew Tina's attention to it, for it was a huge painting of a dark blue night sky, the stars seemed to twinkle slightly and she had to take a second look to realize that they did indeed, apparently enchanted to look like real ones. Tina's eyes were still risen to the ceiling, captured in the sight of it, so she wasn't aware of Newt returning with two glasses of champagne. He saw her standing with her head down on her neck and followed her gaze as he stepped forward to stand at her side.

"My grandmother painted it when they bought this house", he told Tina, who flinched when he started to speak, but relaxed again immediately when she saw who was next to her.

"It's beautiful...I've never seen anything like this before", she said, taking the glass he offered to her.

"There's also an enchanted ceiling in the great hall of Hogwarts, you know", Newt explained, "it's even more interesting because it changes, looking always like the actual sky outside."

"Sounds quite impressive", Tina smiled, "I'd like to see something like this...do you know how it works?", she added interested.

"I'm not..completely sure", Newt admitted, his eyes moving back and forth between Tina and the ceiling, "but there's a book called "Hogwarts, a history", I read it once, in my schooldays, but I fear that I forgot most of it - maybe the only things I remember entirely were what we learned in Care for magical creatures", he smiled. "Oh, and what Professor Dumbledore told me", he added a bit absent-mindedly, apparently with his thoughts back in his schooldays.

Dumbledore. Tina had heard that name before but in the first moment, she couldn't quite remember in which context...  
_Graves_, she thought.  
_The interrogation. _  
_You're an interesting man, Mr_ _Scamander_, he had said.  
_Thrown out of Hogwarts for_ _endangering human life with a_ _beast..._but Dumbledore..this man had argued against Newt's expulsion. Twinkling a couple of times, Tina brought her attention back to the present.

"He must be a considerably interesting man..", she said.

"Dumbledore? Yes, yes indeed...he's..quite-" But Tina shouldn't hear what he was about to say, for Newt was interrupted by the voice of a man.

"Did I hear my name?", he asked, coming towards them. Though Tina had never seen him before, she immediately found him sympathetic. From his friendly face, twinkling eyes and the way in which he moved to his interesting voice- somehow powerful and confident but soft and gentle at the same time- everything seemed to radiate a strength paired with warm kindness.

"P-Professor..", Newt muttered in total surprise while he shook the man's hand.

"My dear Newt", he said, smiling firmly, "I was very much hoping to meet you here."

"Y-yes..yes I..emm...Professor, may I introduce you to Tina...my..g-girlfriend, yes, and...Tina..that's Professor Dumbledore", Newt stuttered, still in a state of confusion by the sudden appearance of the man they had just been talking about.

"Oh!", Tina exclaimed, no less surprised, "it's a pleasure to meet you", she said, smiling while she shook his hand.

"The pleasure is entirely mine", Dumbledore replied. "I must confess that I was beginning to wonder when someone would finally capture the heart of this extraordinary young man", he said, giving a mischievous wink to Tina while he nodded in Newt's direction, causing them both to blush.

"Well...", Tina said, trailing off for she didn't know what to reply.

"I-I didn't expect to see you here, Professor", Newt changed the subject, trying to gather himself as quickly as possible.

"Your mother invited me", Dumbledore explained, "as you know, Theseus and Leta were both students of mine...where are they, by the way?", he added, scanning the crowd.

"Oh, I don't-", Newt started but was cut off again, by the high tinkle of a spoon knocking against a glass, what made his answer unnecessary, for it announced that the engaged couple was about to give a speech to welcome their guests.


	10. Chapter 10

The room went silent when Theseus and Leta stepped onto a platform so they could be seen by everybody, both holding a glass of champagne in one hand, the other arm wrapped around each other. Tina threw a sideglance at Newt to see his reaction- his face was stiff, as if he had been paralysed, showing no emotion at all, but it told Tina enough. Supportively, she laid her hand on his arm and heard how he breathed out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family", Theseus began with his deep and powerful voice, letting his gaze wander over the people in front of him, "on behalf of my whole family and of course my beautiful wife-to-be, I would like to welcome you to our engagement party. We're all very glad to have you here to celebrate this happy event with us."

He turned away from the crowd, looking down at Leta with a loving smile.

"The moment I first laid eyes on her, I thought I may never have seen anything more wonderful. And from this second on, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my days with her, so she has made me the luckiest of men when she agreed to become my wife.."

"I am the lucky one..", Leta said, leaning her head against Theseus' chest, the crowd sighed in unison as he kissed her forehead.

"So let's all raise our glasses to the wonderful Miss Leta Lestrange, soon to become Mrs Theseus Scamander", Theseus called, raising his own glass like everybody else in the room. Even Newt participated, even though he didn't hold his glass as high as the others. Nevertheless, if Tina wasn't mistaken, he seemed slightly more relaxed, less stiff at least, his features more lively.

The chatter began to rise again, the general attention wandering from the pair in the middle of the room to their own conversations when Theseus and Leta stepped down from the platform.

"If you'll excuse me, I better go and bring them my congratulations", Dumbledore smiled at them. "It was very nice to meet you, Tina,..Newt", he nodded in his direction.

"Likewise", Tina said as Dumbledore turned around and made his way through the crowd.

"Would you care for a walk?", Newt asked abruptly. He had been silent since Theseus had started his speech, staring at a point in the air in front of him, obviously absent-minded. Even now he didn't look at Tina while he asked his question and Tina considered some fresh air and peaceful silence might be helpful to gather himself.

"Sure", she answered therefore, also happy to get a break from the party herself. They pushed themselves through the groups of people until they reached the door that led to the terrace and garden. No one noticed as they stepped outside, closing the door behind them. Tina was glad to be welcomed by the cold night air on her face, that cleared her head, hoping that it would have the same effect on Newt. They strolled through the garden for a while, enjoying the peace and silence - the paths were illuminated by lanterns, fixed in the trees that were planted on each side of the path. Their crowns had grown into each other over the years, intertwined their branches to form a tunnel. The only sound was the crunching of pebbles under their feet until Tina heard something that sounded like falling water in the distance. It came nearer and suddenly the tunnel ended, opening the night sky above them, as they stepped onto a round square with a fountain in the centre, splashing calmly. They sat down on a bench that stood at its side, listening, until Tina dared to break the silence.

"Are you alright?", she asked cautiously, looking at him, worried.

"O-of course...why do you ask?", Newt answered innocently, trying to manage a convincing smile. Tina gave him a reproachful look.

"I know you, Newt, don't think that you can hide it from me when you feel uncomfortable...", she told him firmly but empathetic. "I couldn't help to notice your reaction every time-..**she** is around...", Tina said, smiling sadly. Though she wasn't able to get out the name right now, her tone left no doubt about who she meant.

"No it's...it's not..-", Newt started, sounding slightly desperate.

"What? What is it?" Tina didn't want to cause him any pain by forcing him to tell her anything, but she had to clarify things once and for all, so she continued when he stayed silent.  
"Talk to me..please..", she begged.

"It's...not what you're thinking...I-I just...-", he began, breaking off again and burying his face in his hands.

"Newt...? " He looked up as he heard the trembling in her voice. "Are you-...are you still in love with her?" Her voice was no more than a whisper, just loud enough for him to understand, tears glistening in her eyes. But Newt didn't even hesitate.

"No", he simply said.  
"No, I-I'm not.." To Tina's surprise, his voice was completely calm.

"Before we came here, I..thought I might be, but...I wasn't...", he continued, smiling weakly.

"Are you sure?", she asked, convinced that he must be able to hear her heart beating in her chest.

"I'm not only sure-", Newt assured her, his voice confident, but eyes stuck to the floor.  
"I **know**."  
"Did you think I was-...?", he continued, looking up at her when Tina didn't reply.

"No...", she finally whispered,  
"I guess not..I mean, I definitely worried about it, but,...I didn't think you were, not really..."

"Good.." His voice trembled slightly and he took her hand. Tina was glad to let it happen, intertwining her fingers with his, but there was still something she needed to know.

"Then, why did you always react like this? I could see you tense every time by the sight of your brother with Leta..."

"There you have your reason..", he replied, looking at the confused expression on Tina's face. "Theseus", he added therefore.  
"I worried about Theseus...I know we don't have much in common, but he's my brother and I want him to be happy...I just wasn't sure if Leta could be the right person to make him so...after all she-" His voice faded away.

"After all she did to you?", Tina asked softly. He nodded.

That was it. The question Tina had been longing to ask for such a long time, still she had always restrained herself to do so, but not now, for she knew that there probably wasn't going to be another opportunity like this one.

"Would you tell me what happened? Please..?", she said gently, almost timidly.

"You have a right to know, I suppose...", Newt murmured, staring down at their hands in his lap.

"Newt, you don't have to tell me if you-", Tina assured him, though hoping desperately that he would.

"No,...no, I-I want to...I want you to know, Tina, really, it's just...hard for me-..", Newt explained, searching for the right words.

She nodded understandingly and lightly stroked his arm in an attempt of support.

"You see, when I was at school...well, I loved Hogwarts itself -the teachers, the lessons, the things I learned- but, as you can surely imagine, I wasn't very popular. People thought me strange, annoying, like most still do and I knew it. I didn't care about it that much though, was happy to be left alone most of the time, not drawing attention to me...but, there were times when I felt quite lonely, without a single friend. Then one day, it was in my third year, I was sitting in a corner of the owlery where I had brought a raven's chick a few days before. It had fallen out of its nest and I fed it and cared for it - that was when Leta appeared. She spotted me, came to see what I was doing...well, it might be enough to say that we became friends. Leta was excluded for being strange just like me, though for very different reasons. You may not know it, but the name "Lestrange" doesn't have a good reputation in the Wizarding Community. She was insulted, laughed at, nobody wanted to have anything to do with her because they just assumed her to be like what her family was known for. And through that, I must admit that she did become more and more like everybody thought her to be, but...when I first met her, she was still this...innocent and..forlorn girl who wanted and needed nothing but to have a companion. So maybe it was just natural that we became that for each other...we had no one else, so we were quite-...close..., inseparable in fact and...yes.. there was a time, still at school, when I...was..or thought at least...to be in love with her..." He paused, swallowing his emotions and continued then, his eyes never leaving the ground.

"My feelings weren't required though and I would never have told her...but she changed..I could see it, feel it, even though it wasn't very perceptible at first when the two of us were together. But with the others, those who insulted her - she had ignored them at the beginning, tried to appear as indifferent as possible, but over time, she grew more impatient, couldn't control herself and even got detention for provoking a fight. Finally, I also felt the effects on her behaviour. Leta shared my interest in magical creatures, although she wasn't quite as passionate about them, she liked to help me with everything I brought into the castle to care for. What I didn't know at the time was that...she had brought up some creatures on her own, in the forbidden forest- you don't know it, Tina, but it surely isn't forbidden for no reason..I still don't know what creature it was or what happened exactly, she didn't tell me and I never asked...all that I know is that she couldn't control whatever it was, it escaped and hurt a student. The whole school was in agitation, nobody knew who was responsible, but the parents demanded that someone should be punished for endangering their child. I had no idea that Leta had been involved in the incident, not until I found her crying in the owlery. She told me that it had been her fault, although she didn't go into detail, and now she feared to be expelled if the headmaster found out - it was her worst nightmare, being expelled, for she would have to go back to her parents then...Leta's parents were never very...solicitous, to put it nicely, she always spent the holidays at Hogwarts, it was the closest thing she had to a home, so she begged that I shouldn't tell anybody. And I tried, Tina, I tried, but..."  
A suppressed sobbing mingled in his voice and he had to take a moment to gather himself, while Tina stroked his back in support and sympathy, tears in her own eyes.

"You told somebody about her?", she asked softly.

Newt shook his head. "No. No I-I didn't...I thought about it, many, many times, yes..but, I couldn't. I knew what it would mean..what it would do to her and I simply couldn't. But I couldn't stay silent either, I...I felt responsible as well, you see?"

Tina opened her mouth to contradict him, but knowing what she was about to say, Newt continued before she had the chance to.

"No, no, Tina, I know that I actually wasn't, but I felt so then nevertheless. I had developed her interest in magical creatures, I had shown her how to care for them and I hadn't been aware of what she was up to in the forest, although I was the only one who was close enough to her to could have noticed...", he said desperately.  
"So I finally made a decision...I went to the headmaster's office and told him everything, everything I had made up before to make him believe that I was responsible...it wasn't very hard", he added, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "My love for magical creatures, even the dangerous ones, was very well known and nobody doubted that I would have been able and willing to raise one in secrecy. So I was expelled in Leta's place, I took the blame because I knew that the consequences for me would be far less severe than they would have been for her, my parents were undoubtedly disappointed, but I knew I was loved and they would forgive me and forget all about it soon..and so it was...I told my mother later, years later, because she kept asking me why my friendship with Leta had ended so suddenly, if I didn't want to search contact again, but my mother hadn't seen Leta on my last days at Hogwarts, before my parents came to pick me up. I didn't see very much of her myself, and that was the point: She avoided me, didn't say one word about the whole matter...and I felt..somehow..let down, abandoned...I know she hadn't asked me to do what I did, but..." He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.  
"It wasn't my getting expelled, that ended our friendship in the first place, it was the fact that her behaviour showed me that she obviously wanted it to end..." He sighed and looked up at Tina for the first time since he had begun his story, her cheeks wet from the tears rolling down.

"I didn't see or hear from her since...not until my brother told me about the engagement."


	11. Chapter 11

_Maybe some of you will recognize the last part of the dialogue, I took some inspiration from one of my favourite scenes in a TV series you might know, please comment if you have a guess, I'm curious;)_

_o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o_

"When I heard that Theseus was engaged to her, I was shocked at first. I was so afraid when we came here, not knowing what to expect, for I hadn't seen Leta since then and, as you know, people change.." he added, a little smile playing around his lips. Tina couldn't help but smile as well by him using this familiar sentence.  
"After our first meeting, I didn't worry as much as I had before, but I wasn't quite convinced yet, not sure how to estimate their relationship...but when I saw them this evening, how they look at each other...and what Theseus said-...I'm sure now that they truly love each other, that Leta has changed and will make my brother happy...and I know that because...because-", he trailed off, apparently searching for words.

"Because of what?", Tina whispered, tensed but also with an audible hint of hope.

"Because of what he said...when he talked about her..their first meeting...how he immediately knew-...I'm familiar with this feeling, Tina...", Newt said, looking at their hands, "This certainty that Theseus described...during his speech I felt like-...like he was describing what I felt..what I feel, rather...when I-..when...when I look at you.." His voice was only a whisper by the end of the sentence, but it surely lost nothing of its meaning. Tina felt like her heart might explode in her chest, pure emotion overcoming her and tears streaming down her face. A sob escaped her throat, causing Newt to finally look up at her as she was crying and laughing at the same time. He lifted his hand and stroked her cheek, wiping away the tears with his thumb as he did. Tina laid her own hand on his, indicating him to leave it where it rested on her face, while she turned her head and placed a kiss on his palm. They hugged each other, enjoyed the comforting warmth and touch. Both felt relieved, like a weight had been taken from their shoulders by Newt telling her his story.

"I love you", Tina whispered when her tears finally stopped to fall and she placed a kiss on his shoulder, "so much.."

Newt smiled when he heard it and happily breathed in the scent of her hair.

"No more than I love you."

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

They had been sitting on the bench in the silent darkness, Tina rested against Newt's side, her head on his shoulder and Newt's left arm put around her, his other hand was playing with her fingers while she had closed her eyes. Tina felt how he placed a kiss on her hair and she sighed comfortably.

"We should get back soon, I fear...", he whispered. "Somebody could be looking for us."

He chuckled when Tina gave some grumbling sounds as a response.

"I know", he said, quickly kissing her head again before he got up and pulled her with him. "But I'm still the fiancé's brother and can't hide during the whole thing...as much as I'd like to.."

"You're right", Tina agreed reluctantly. "Let's go then.."

As they walked back to the house, Tina on Newt's arm, they could hear the noise of conversations growing louder until they reached the door and slipped in as inconspicuously as on their way out. They walked near the wall, besides the groups of people talking about this and that, searching for a quiet corner where they could be alone, when they heard someone calling after them.

"Newt!" It was Leta, making her way through the crowd and towards them.

"Hey...", she greeted, focusing on Newt, when she came to stand in front of them, suddenly very insecure.

"Leta" Newt sounded quite friendly, encouraging her to go on.

"I-I just wanted to-", she began, sounding a bit helpless, "I know our meeting yesterday didn't go as well as I would have liked it to, but...I'm marrying your brother, so we probably should...try to..you know..get on at least..for Theseus.."

"Leta...", he had been wanting to tell her that there was no need for explanations, but he didn't get a chance to speak.

"Newt, I'm sorry", Leta suddenly said, hurried, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm so sorry...I know you must hate me for what you had to get through because of me, and how I behaved afterwards was just-...I don't know why I acted as I did, maybe I was just..still panicking, shocked or..oh, I have no idea...all that I know is that I would never have wanted to hurt you, and that's what I did, however", she continued desperately. "But I missed you..after you'd left school, you know...truly...I was alone again...until I met Theseus." Leta smiled a little at the thought. "I love him..very much...I hope you can believe me when I say that I'll try my best to make him happy..and maybe you can...try to...-", she trailed off, apparently searching for words.  
"I won't ask you to forgive me..", Leta finally added quietly, "and I understand if you can't, but...maybe you could...try to..hate me a bit less..?" Her voice was hopeful, and to Tina's surprise, she could see tears glistening in her eyes - after their first meeting, she hadn't expected Leta to show herself so openly vulnerable.

"I don't hate you", Newt simply replied, looking at the woman in front of him.

"You don't?", Leta asked, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"No", he said, "of course not. I could never hate you. I was hurt, Leta, I won't deny it, and it took me a long time to get over it, but...I am now, I guess", he smiled slightly. "I can see that my brother loves you and I do believe you that you love him too..and..I wish you to be happy, truly..both of you." Tina admired him for the calmness he radiated.

Leta smiled insecurely, she wanted so much to believe his words, but...

"Do you really?", she asked therefore, the spark of hope inside her growing bigger when she saw Newt smile as well.

"I do", he assured her.

"You can't imagine how glad I am that you say that", Leta told him relieved. "I was so nervous about our meeting yesterday, after all these years, worrying and blaming myself for ruining everything..." Suddenly, her expression changed, became questioning and slightly curious. "And all the time I kept asking myself...Why did you do it? Why did you tell them it was you?", she whispered.

"Because it needed to be done", Newt simply responded.  
"I couldn't stay silent, Leta, not after what had happened...but I knew it would be much less hard for me, so..." They both smiled weakly, Leta didn't know what she could say.

"You were my friend..", Newt continued, "the only one I had, actually...until..." Newt turned his head around to Tina, who had been standing quietly in the background during the conversation, and held his hand out to her, implicating her to step forward to them.  
"Until I met Tina", he finished his sentence, smiling at her as she took his hand and came to stand by his side.

"I see..", Leta said, but she sounded completely different compared to her words towards Tina the day before - friendly, yes, even happy.

"I might owe you an apology as well", she said to Tina. "Yesterday I was-...well, I'm not really sure what came over me...I think it was..-seeing you with Newt..it made me remember what I had missed, how I should have behaved and what I did instead...I got angry, was disappointed", she explained, smiling apologetically, "but only because of myself, and I reflected that on you, I suppose...but..I'm really happy that he found someone who treats him the way he deserves.."

"Thank you", Tina smiled sincerely while she saw Newt blushing from the corner of her eye.

"Here you are!" Theseus had appeared, obviously searching his financée. "Mum's looking for you, she wants to introduce you to anybody, I don't know..friends of the family", he explained to Leta. His expression changed when he suddenly noticed the tears that still remained in her eyes.  
"Is anything the matter, my darling?", he asked worriedly.

"Oh, no, I'm fine", Leta laughed, wiping her eyes hurriedly, "everything's rather wonderful, actually.." Theseus wasn't sure how to estimate the situation, but Leta smiled so sincerely that he was soothed for the moment.

"Well, then", he said, turning towards Newt, "if you don't mind...?" And he laid an arm around Leta to guide her away - Tina was pleased to see that Newt didn't tense as he had done all the time before.

"Not at all", he replied, smiling friendly and completely relaxed.

"I'll see you later..?" Leta called back to them, sounding questioning, as Theseus slightly pulled her towards the other end of the room.

"Certainly", Newt assured her and Tina nodded affirmatively. With one last glad and relieved smile, Leta disappeared with Theseus into the crowd.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Newt and Tina had returned from their visit to England the day before. The rest of their stay had been wonderful- after talking things over with Leta, the tensed atmosphere had changed to everybody's relief. The day after the party, Newt and Tina had spent some time with the Scamander family, before Newt had shown her around London, no time for Tina to concentrate on anything but the beautiful city. Mr and Mrs Scamander, accompanied by Theseus and Leta, had finally waved them goodbye after a long and emotional farewell at the docks. Mrs Scamander had hugged Tina and then Newt - and Tina could have sworn to see how she whispered something in her son's ear that caused him to blush almost imperceptibly. But Tina had been saying goodbye to Theseus in the meantime, so she was distracted and couldn't be sure what she had seen afterwards. When they finally arrived at Tina's apartment in New York it was already late, and since both were exhausted by the events of the last days and the journey back, they went to bed immediately after feeding Newt's creatures.

Now it was the afternoon of the next day, both had been busy to unpack and organise the work Tina had to catch up because of her break. Finally, they were sitting in Newt's case as they did so often after finishing their daily tasks. Tina cuddled in Newt's side, absent-mindedly playing with his hair, and thought for the first time since their return about all she had experienced. She went through everything, when she had seen the mansion for the first time, the meeting with Mrs Scamander - _Camille_, Tina reminded herself - the rest of the family, the party, and then their conversation in the garden...her thoughts were caught on this part, she tried to call every detail to her mind and as she came to the end of their talk, a question flashed through her head, a question she had already been asking herself at the moment Newt had told her about his feelings, but she had been too distracted by her own overwhelming emotions to pose it then.

"Newt..?"

"Hmm.." His voice was muffled by her hair as he rested his head on her's.

"I was wondering...do you remember what you said..in the garden..during the engagement party?", Tina asked hesitantly.

"Of course", Newt replied, obviously surprised.  
"How should I forget? Why?", he wanted to know.

"At the end...when you were talking about Theseus..his speech...you said that-...that he described what you felt, too..", she told him.

"Mhmm.." He confirmed, but still unsure where this might lead.

"Well...do you also remember what your brother said? In this speech, I mean, he-..he didn't only say that he immediately knew that he loved Leta but...that he wanted to spend his life with her..." Tina paused, taking a deep breath, "soo, I wondered if- if that means..you-...", she trailed off.

"Yes...yes, that's...actually,...that was especially what I meant to say... yes..", Newt stuttered a little embarrassed - less because of his admission, but because he was surprised by the sudden question, for he hadn't expected her to be insecure about his intentions at all.

"I know we've never talked about..that...", he explained further, wanting to leave no doubt in her mind,  
"how we will proceed, after returning to New York. I've never stayed so long in one place before...You know how I am, Tina, you know what my work requires, and I love what I do, but-...I would give it up, if you asked me to, you know? Without having to think about it." The sincerity in his voice warmed Tina's heart, but she could also feel the spark of sadness that accompanied the thought of breaking with his previous life and work.

"Newt I-...as much as I might wish that you stay in New York with me..I couldn't ask it of you..", she replied truthfully.  
"Never. **Because** I know you...", she affirmed. "I don't want-...see, I couldn't bear the thought that you might wake up one day and find that you feel like you're stuck with me.." Her voice faded away and she looked to the ground.

"But that's the point." She raised her gaze again in confusion.

"What is?"

"I want to be stuck with you", Newt said firmly.

"I'm..not convinced I can be hearing this right..." Tina didn't know what to think, could he really mean...? Newt took a deep breath to gather himself and looked at his hands, wringing them nervously.

"You are, if you think..I'm..asking you to m-marry me."


	12. Chapter 12

Tina stared at him, completely taken by surprise, every thought blown out of her head.

"W-what?", she stuttered.

"Marry me. I mean, would you?", he asked again, very nervous and insecure now that Tina seemed to be this confused. "Because if you don't...you just have to tell me, but...maybe you would-... I thought you might...consider it? You don't have to, of course, b-but...if you really want..to become my w-wife...I would be...honoured..", Newt lost the thread and his voice faded away as he stared on the floor, his cheeks blushing in embarrassment.  
Tina gathered her senses and as soon as she had, the most beautiful smile appeared on her face, accompanied by a feeling of pure bliss filling her whole body. She couldn't think of a moment she had ever been so happy. But Newt noticed nothing of all this, for he hadn't found the courage to look at her yet - but he did now, as he heard her answer.

"Yes"

His eyes found Tina's, slight astonishment showing in his, hers wet with pure joy, and he felt how a smile stole its way on his face as well.

"Really?"

"Yes! Yes, of course, yes, yes..", Tina laughed, blinking away her happy tears and hugging the still slightly surprised but blissfully happy man in front of her.

„But I have a condition", she told him after a while, when she had calmed down and gathered her thoughts.

"Which?", Newt asked slightly surprised.

"Take me with you."

"What?" A wrinkle appeared between his eyebrows.

"I want to come with you, when you travel for your work, search and study new creatures", she explained, "Promise me that I can accompany you."

Newt stared at her, apparently trying to make out if he could have understood her words correctly, his gaze full of surprise and slight confusion.

"Are you serious?", he asked, eyebrows raised at her.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't joke about something like this, so, yes, of course I am", she assured him with a laugh at his expression.

"You want to come with me..on my travels?", he reassured himself and Tina nodded.

"But what about your work for MACUSA? You're such a brilliant auror and I know you love to be one.."

"I'm planning to ask Madam Picquery if I can work as an auror in foreign countries..", Tina explained, "but if not, I'll change my profession and help you with yours."

"But..", Newt started again, still unable to believe that she meant her words.

"Can't you just accept it?", she interrupted him. "I promise that I'll be happy, I've already thought it through and I love your work at least as much as my own...and I love you, so it would be a little price to pay if working with you instead of MACUSA means we can be together", she ended firmly. Newt stared at her, lost for words.

"Don't you want me to come with you?", Tina asked, sounding slightly insecure, although she didn't actually think that this could be the reason for Newt's hesitation.

"No..no, of course I want you to", he finally told her. "I couldn't imagine anything more wonderful, to be honest...I-I just don't want that you have to give up anything you love because of me.."

"Didn't you just say you would do exactly the same for me?" Tina interrupted him.

"Yes, yes I did, but...that's not-"

"Not the same, you were about to say? Well, why not? Why shouldn't I be allowed to make this decision too? Didn't you hear me when I said I would be just as happy doing your work as my own? But even if I wasn't...-I **love** you, Newt, don't you understand that? I love you and I want to be with you and it doesn't matter where we are or what we're doing there, I'll be happy just because it will be with you!" Tina had gotten more and more into her desperate attempt to show him how serious she was about what she was saying, calming down again now, she felt rather downcast.

"But I don't want to argue with you, I...I just...-" She sighed, followed by a moment of silence.

"You're marvellous", Newt finally whispered.

"What?" Tina asked, bewildered by this sudden change of temper.

"You're incredible", he said with a wry smile. "I can't believe that you're willing to do this for me..but if you're sure.."

"I **am** sure. Completely sure..and I'm not only doing it for you", she added warmly, "It's for both of us."

"Well then, Miss Porpentina Goldstein", Newt smiled, "will you marry me?"

"You already asked me that", Tina said amused.

"I know, I just wanted to hear your answer again", he grinned.

"In that case: Yes", she said, her smile no less broad than his,  
"I will."

Newt's eyes suddenly widened, as if he had just remembered something.

"Oh", he said, raising his finger, implicating her to wait for whatever had just come to his mind, and started rummaging through his coat pockets, searching for something.

"Where is-...?", Tina heard him murmur to himself.  
"But it must be-..."

He stopped for a second, spotting Pickett who stuck his little green head out of his breast pocket.

"What is it?", Newt asked him. Pickett chirped something in his high bowtruckle voice, gesticulating with his small branch-like arms.

"Mhmm", Newt nodded, listening concentrated to the little creature.  
"Oh, yes, you're right!", he finally exclaimed delightedly when Pickett had finished.  
"I forgot..", Tina heard him mutter to himself as he took out his wand and tapped it against his blue coat. Tina just sat there, watching him, while he let his hand slide into the pocket once more, smiling triumphantly when his fingers closed around what he was looking for. As he took it out, Tina could see what it was and her eyes filled with tears again - a small black box, obviously meant for an engagement ring.

"I've been carrying this around for quite some time now", Newt admitted with a shy smile and opened it. Tina held her breath - and let it out again, confused at first, then she tried and failed to suppress an amused smile at the thought that all his searching efforts had been for nothing - because the box was empty.

Newt, realising her expression, looked down at it as well, and his smile faded away.

"WHERE'S THAT NIFFLER?!"

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Tina couldn't hold back a giggle as she followed Newt through the case to the Niffler's nest, where he suspected the ring would be found. They could already hear the Niffler from the distance, digging through all the treasures he had collected in his nest, the unmistakable tinkling noise of rolling coins growing louder as they neared its nest.

"Chmchmm", Newt cleared his throat in an attempt to draw attention to himself. The Niffler stopped in his movement, turning around to look at Newt.

"Could it be possible that you have something that belongs to me?", he asked, calm but inquiring.

The Niffler tilted his head to one side questioningly, trying to look as innocent as possible. Newt raised his eyebrows at him. Both stood there in silence for a few moments, motionless, until the Niffler gave up and raised one paw as if he had just remembered what Newt meant, indicating him to wait until he had found it, just as Newt had done with Tina before. The Niffler rummaged around in his pouch, fishing out several objects from little shiny buttons to a whole gold ingot, throwing them over his shoulder to the rest of his glittering collection. Finally, he pulled out a silver ring, holding it out to Newt with an almost proud expression on his face, obviously quite pleased with himself.

"Thank you very much", Newt said, taking the ring from him, "but you don't have to look this content, you little thief", he scolded him strictly.

The Niffler seemed indignant at this presumption, pointing at himself sanctimoniously.

"Yes, you!", Newt said.

The Niffler started babbling, gesticulating wildly.

"You saved it?", Newt asked doubtingly, eyebrows raised. "To keep it for me?"

The Niffler nodded enthusiastically, going on with what seemed to be an attempt for an explanation.

"Because it had fallen out of my pocket?", Newt repeated the Niffler's words, unable to hold back the amused smile that played around his lips by now. "That's all very well...", he said when the Niffler had finished his report, "with the one slight problem that the ring couldn't have fallen out of my pocket, because I laid a spell on it", Newt told the Niffler with a smile.  
"It was a hiding charm so the ring could only be found or taken out of my coat after it had been lifted...or by some little paws having their very own sort of magic..", he told him knowingly.

The Niffler had frozen, staring at Newt, knowing that he had been seen through. Now, with one last shrug of his shoulders, and something that looked like a mischievous grin (as far as Nifflers are able to grin), he turned around hurriedly and disappeared into the depths of his nest. Newt shook his head in amusement while he turned around to face Tina.

"What shall I do with him?", he asked, smiling apologetically.

Tina laughed, knowing that he didn't expect an answer, for they were both well aware of the fact that the Niffler couldn't be taught, even if he had tried.

"But we love him anyway, don't we?", Tina grinned and Newt laughed affirmatively while he came towards her.

"Of course we do", he said and it warmed Tina's heart that he as well used the term "we". "Although I'd be glad if he wouldn't always pinch especially what is meant for you..", he said, taking her hand in his and gently putting the ring on her finger.

It was thin and simple, but the understated elegance matched Tina's own style perfectly. The silver was matt and slightly uneven, giving it a sort of rustic look, with a single small oval stone - as Tina discerned, in the shade of blue that looked very similar to Newt's coat.

"Newt, it's beautiful!", Tina said breathlessly.

"I'm glad you like it...I made it myself, you know...", he admitted, a combination of insecurity and pride in his voice, "took the silver from an occamy eggshell.."

"Oh really?", she asked, deeply touched that he had made such an effort to give her ring this wonderful personal touch, so it represented everything she loved about him.

"The occamys are my-"

"Your favourites, yes, I know.." he smiled shyly.

"Of course it's not-...I mean, I'm not very familiar with..rings...", he stammered then, "and occamy silver is not very easy to work on, so it may be a bit-"

"It's perfect", she interrupted him, "I love it..", Tina whispered firmly, unable to take her eyes off her finger.  
"Thank you", she smiled at him, and was rewarded with the wry grin she saw so rarely and loved so much.


	13. Chapter 13

A couple of days had passed since Newt had asked Tina to marry him. They were both eager to pass as much time together as possible, so Tina helped Newt in his case when she came back from her work at MACUSA.  
She had already spoken to Mme Picquery about her travelling plans with Newt, although they hadn't set a date for a wedding yet. They hadn't even told anyone, for both wanted to enjoy the feeling of having this secret together for a little longer. Mme Picquery hadn't been pleased by the prospect of losing one of her best Aurors, but they had finally come to a solution that would make it possible for Tina to keep working for the American Ministry, stay with Newt and even work with him. Newt would join MACUSA as an expert for magizoologie, travelling around the world with an Auror as his partner to make out illegal breeding or not-species-appropriate keeping, with the agreement that he would be allowed to rescue, keep and care for every creature they found.

Now Tina was just finishing her daily feeding round. They had divided the creatures between the two of them, so it took only half the time and they could spend the rest of it together. Of course, Newt had kept the more dangerous ones to himself, while she looked after something like Bowtruckles, Occamys and Mooncalves, but Tina didn't mind, knowing that he was only trying to protect her and proud that he trusted her enough with something he loved so much that he let her take care of them on her own.  
When she arrived at Newt's shed and put the buckets away she had carried around, she saw Newt already sitting on the settee, his usually white shirt was covered in mud and he had just pulled a thorn out of his arm when Tina entered.

"Newt!", Tina said alarmed and walked towards him.  
"What happened?"

"Oh, it's nothing", he smiled light-heartedly,  
"I was just in thoughts and fell into a thornbush in the savanna habitat. It's already out, nothing to worry about", he assured Tina and showed her the thorn.

"May I take a look though?", Tina asked, not convinced that he was alright. She sat down and reached for his arm where the thorn had stuck, and was surprised and puzzled when Newt withdrew it, moving a little away from her.

"Really Tina, there's no need..I've been looking after myself for ages..", he said evasively.

"I know", Tina told him,  
"but now you don't have to do that anymore. You better get used to me taking care of you, Mr Scamander, for I'm planning to keep doing it for quite a long time..."  
They both smiled at her words, until Tina continued and Newt's smile faded away.  
"Come on now, take off your shirt and let me make sure that everything is alright."

"Tina, I'm not sure..if I-...if you want to...", Newt contradicted her hesitantly.

"We'll have to wash it anyway, so you can as well give it to me right away", Tina said, not comprehending why he suddenly seemed to be this nervous.

"It's-...you don't know-...you've never seen-...I don't want you to-..", Newt stuttered, unable to bring his sentences to an end, so Tina's imagination did it for him.

"You don't want me to see you..?", Tina whispered expressionlessly, and it sounded only half like a question.

"No!", Newt told her quickly when he saw the look on her face,  
"No, that's not...not what I meant, I-I..."

"Newt, what's the matter?", she asked softly, soothed by his desperate tone.

"I'm afraid what you'll think...what you'll _feel..._when you see..."  
Tina wasn't sure what he meant, but he looked so helpless and lost that she didn't dare to ask, but tried to calm him instead - whatever the source of his distress may be, Tina wanted him to know that there was no reason to worry about anything at all.

"Newt...", she began softly, taking his hand in hers,  
"there's nothing that could change the way I'm thinking about you...or feeling", she added firmly.  
"Let me take care of you...please?", she asked gently, squeezing his fingers encouragingly.

"Alright", Newt nodded quietly, his eyes fixed on the ground and he began to unbutton his shirt, but Tina saw that his fingers were trembling.

"Let me", she said, stopping his own hands from fumbling at the buttons, watching him as he let them sink down on his lep.  
He didn't reply, but he didn't stop her either as she began to loosen the buttons carefully, so she took it as permission to go on. Tina's eyes were concentrated on Newt's face, they only flickered down now and then to control what her hands were doing, but she didn't want to miss even the slightest reaction - his eyes remained stuck to one point on the ground, his features completely expressionless when she finally reached the last button and opened it.  
Although Tina had managed the keep calm until now, she couldn't stop her own fingers from trembling slightly as she grabbed the shirt and pulled it down from his shoulders.  
Everything had been silent around them since Tina had started to open the first button, but now, as the shirt fell to the floor beside them, Newt could hear how Tina inhaled sharply - and it made him believe that it would be exactly as he had feared.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Tina stared at his bare chest and scolded herself for not being able to control her breathing, but the mixture of emotions that overcame her by the sight in front of her had made it impossible. She was excited for seeing a part of him that he had never revealed to her before, worried after his struggle to do so for she didn't know why - well, now she had an idea of his reason.  
His whole torso was covered in scars, his chest, belly, shoulders, and surely his back looked similar, although Tina couldn't see it from this angle. The new tiny stab from the thorn was lost in the diversity of marks: big scars, as thick as a hand, thin ones, long and short ones, some were already grey after a long healing process, others were still so rosy that they couldn't be older than a couple of weeks.

Tina stretched out her fingers in the direction of an especially big one, far too close to his heart for her liking, but stopped only millimeters before her fingers brushed against the skin, for she was afraid that Newt wouldn't be comfortable with her touch.  
Newt himself had been watching her from the corner of his eye, afraid but eager at the same time to see her reaction. He observed her eyes widening at the first sight of him, her mouth slightly open and tears growing in her eyes, ascribing it all to the shock he had expected from her. So now, he misread Tina's hesitation.

"I know what you think..", he murmured to the ground,  
"I-I'm sorry...I knew it would-...now you understand why I didn't-.., he gulped,  
"I'm sure it's not..what you...may have..wanted", he whispered, his voice almost unhearable by the last word.  
"I'm sorry..", he said again, downcast, "I know..it's-"

"Beautiful", Tina breathed, interrupting him and gazing at his troubled face with watery eyes.

"W-what?", he pressed out, looking at her for the first time, his eyebrows pulled together in disbelief and doubt.

"Newt, you're wonderful", Tina smiled at him before she gazed back on his chest.  
"Perfect...", she mumbled as she raised her hand again, not hesitating this time when she cautiously brushed her fingertips over one of the bigger scars. She heard how Newt inhaled sharply and saw his chest rising and falling heavily, his body slightly trembling under her touch.

"You don't find it...repellent?", he asked worriedly as he grabbed the hand that was sliding over his skin.

"What?", Tina asked, surprised and shocked by his question, for it had never leaped to her mind that he might think that.  
"No!", she told him, gently and firmly at the same time,  
"No, Newt I-...no, of course not", she assured him softly, but leaving no doubt about her words.  
"That's what you thought?", she added a bit sadly, for she would have hoped he knew that such a thought would never even occur to her.

"Well, I...I didn't know..", he replied a little desperate.  
"I've seen reactions from people before...pity, shock,...even disgust..", he admitted,  
"and I couldn't have endured seeing any of that in your eyes, Tina, I-..."

"You won't", she assured him softly.  
"I was surprised", she whispered then, "but not shocked...and I would never be able to-", she broke off, not even capable of saying the word. _Disgusted_. _How_ _could I-...?,_ she thought.  
"I told you that nothing would change my feelings", she finished instead.  
Newt smiled weakly at her, tears in his eyes and Tina lifted a hand to stroke one out of the corner of his eye with her thumb.

"Life is always leaving traces, you know", she said then as she took his hand that had stopped her from touching his chest.  
"Some may be visible", she continued, brushing her fingertips over a scar again to underline her words, "some may be only on the inside, maybe even unnoticed by the people around you. But you needn't be ashamed of them", she told him.  
"They're showing who you are, what you've been through...there may be people, who...", she hesitated, searched the right words, "are more _marked_ than others", she went on, "but Newt, going through life without being hurt in any way is impossible. They're telling the story of your life, your passion and your love for what you do - so no, I'm not repelled, not in the slightest", she said warmly, "if anything, I'm impressed."  
Newt had stared at her during her speech, not taking his eyes off her face for once, totally concentrated on listening, and Tina had watched how his almost tortured and doubtful expression had softened to something between awe and amazement.

"May I?", Tina whispered, smiling when Newt stayed silent and just kept gazing at her.  
He threw a sideglance at her outstretched hand that was about to touch his chest and nodded. Tina lowered her eyes on the scars, examining them, from big burns to tiny points, apparently caused by little sharp teeth. Her fingers glided over them, feeling the different textures and following the edgings. When she came to the one close to his heart she had already noticed before, she dared to lean forward to breathe a kiss on the spot. Newt trembled at her gentle touch and winced slightly, surprised, but relaxed immediately when Tina hugged him closely.

"I love you", she whispered in his ear before placing another light kiss on a scar on his shoulder.  
"Would you tell me the stories behind them at some time or other?", Newt heard her murmur in his shoulder and he felt that she was smiling, although he couldn't see it.

"I will", he promised, breathing in the scent of her hair as he held her close. "Whenever you like to hear them."


	14. Chapter 14

The next couples of weeks were filled with busy preparations, became blurred into months until Newt and Tina suddenly realised that it wouldn't take very long until they would get married. As soon as they had told Newt's family and wrote a letter to Queenie and Jacob who were also in England because there was no law against Wizard-Muggle-relations in the United Kingdom, they had found themselves nearly inundated with congratulations, good wishes, suggestions for all kinds of wedding plans and the desperate need to fix a date, so they had finally given away and chose a day in June. It had been November when they had gotten the first responses from their families, now it was already March, and Newt and Tina had decided to go back to England some weeks ago, for everyone they loved and wanted to know at their sides on their special day lived here. Newt had his own apartment in London and that was where they lived during their stay, although they hardly had some time alone together, for there were family members constantly going in and out to discuss preparations, or Newt's assistant Bunty who helped him to care for his creatures while Newt and Tina were so occupied with the marriage.

At this time of day, Newt and Tina had finally found a moment where nobody else was there to keep them busy and they sat together on Newt's desk, writing invitations. They had decided that they wanted it to be a simple and small event, although Queenie and Mrs Scamander had both tried desperately to convince them otherwise. But after having attended to Theseus' and Leta's wedding some months ago, they were more than sure that they wouldn't be comfortable with something bigger. The guest list was accordingly short, the Scamander family, Queenie and Jacob and...  
Tina smiled in amusement when she saw the name Newt was writing down and she couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"What is it?", Newt asked and raised his eyes from the card to look at her.

"Oh, nothing", Tina replied innocently, but her eyes couldn't hide the smile she was holding back. "It's just...are you sure it's a good idea to invite Bunty?"

"Why not?", Newt asked bemusedly. "She has been my assistant for quite some time now...since I came back from my first visit in New York, actually, and it would be impolite not to ask her to come, don't you think?"

"Well..", Tina said, "if you put it that way, yes.."

"And it can't hurt to have an extra pair of hands when we really want to have the ceremony in the case...by the way...You do still want it to be in the case, don't you?", he asked concerned.

"Of course", Tina assured him, "it's the perfect place, Newt. But...what I was going to say about Bunty..", she continued, not letting herself be distracted, "...haven't you noticed, that...?"

"Noticed what?", Newt asked, clearly puzzled.

"Well, that..she's quite taken with you?", Tina asked, finding it more and more amusing that he had obviously been totally unaware of what was obvious to everybody else.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, Newt...", Tina smiled at him lovingly, not believing that he could be so naive, "She has a crush on you", she explained

"Really?", Newt asked in complete surprise, "Has she? I have never noticed...but that could be because I was always too occupied by thinking about you..", he said sincerely and blushed a little.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

"Newt you can't just wear your usual clothes on your wedding day!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's your WEDDING DAY and you **will** wear a proper suit, whether you like it or not", Theseus said intransigently.

"Well, just to clarify things, let me tell you now that I **don't** like it", Newt stated.

"Noted", Theseus replied and went on going around Newt to look at his appearance from every possible angle while Newt himself stood stiffly in front of a mirror, uncomfortable in the black suit his brother had forced him to try on.

"Have you bought the rings?", Theseus asked absent-mindedly while still examining his little brother.

"I have", Newt said.

"Good..", Theseus said and plucked at one of Newt's sleeves.  
"Aaand they are safe?", he asked with knowingly raised eyebrows.

"Totally", Newt assured him and chuckled because he knew so well what his brother meant.  
"The Nifflers won't get them, I'll ensure that, I promise."

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

"Oh Teenie, that's sooo beautiful!", Queenie's excited voice echoed through the shop.

"I don't know...", Tina said and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"Well, I do!", Queenie told her and turned to the other two women Tina had asked to accompany her to look for a wedding dress.

"Leta, Camille, come on, help me to persuade her!"

"It really is beautiful, Tina", Mrs Scamander said softly, "but don't forget that it's your day, and you have to be comfortable with your choice." Tina smiled at her thankfully, she was so glad that Newt's mother had consented to help her with the dress, especially because Tina had no mother to take that place, so Camille tried her best to support her.

"Yes, of course, you're right..", Queenie said, "but look at you! It's just-", she sighed dreamily and Tina couldn't help but laugh at her sister's expression.

"Are you sure that I need a proper wedding dress?", Tina asked,  
"I mean, couldn't I just-"

"No! You couldn't **just**!", Queenie interrupted her. "That's your wedding, Teen, the most wonderful day of your life.."

"I know that, Queenie, but what's the point behind it when it's not...me?", Tina asked. She didn't want to hurt or disappoint her sister, but she knew that she also didn't want to marry when she was not comfortable with everything.

"Newt won't care what I wear", Tina explained, "and I-..oh I don't know what I want but it's certainly not that", she said and pointed at her image in the mirror, "It's..too much."

"I see...", Queenie said and her voice was calm now, but not sad or disappointed at all. "Alright, Teenie, I promise we'll find something...something that's perfect."

"Thank you", Tina smiled at her lovingly. "I'm sure we will..And now, help me out of this dress."

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

"Newt, buddy, I know it's meant to be a compliment, but...", Jacob began hesitantly, "you really should stop comparing Tina to your creatures."

"But she **is**-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know", Jacob interrupted him, "eyes like a salamander and majestic as a Thunderbird, I get it, but...", he sighed despairingly.

"But she liked it when I told her about her eyes and the salamanders", Newt insisted. "She told me she liked it, she even thanked me."

"You guys are really mad for each other..", Jacob muttered under his breath so Newt wouldn't hear him, but he couldn't help smiling nonetheless.  
"Look", he said then more loudly, "Why don't you talk about your first meeting or something... that's what people usually do."

"When we first met, she pushed me against a wall and arrested me", Newt said and smiled at the memory. "It was because the Niffler had tried to rob the bank, you remember? Oh yes, that's good, stories including the Niffler are always-"

"Yeah...no", Jacob interrupted him again. "Better don't mention that either...let me see...", he said and rubbed his fingers against his temples.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

It was now about a week until their wedding and Tina felt how she was growing more and more nervous. This whole thing had worn her out and she didn't like at all how rarely she got to spend time with Newt or even see him. She had always known that she wasn't the person for wedding preparations, but over the last months, it had really distressed her how little she knew or at least cared about all these things: dresses, flowers, cake flavours...

Queenie was in her element of course, but Tina...  
It troubled her more than it probably should, and she knew that this was certainly not the right moment for doubts, but she couldn't help it nonetheless. Lost in her gloomy thought she didn't notice how Newt entered the room until he sat down on the settee beside her.

"Tina", he said a little concerned when he saw the look on her face, "is everything alright?"

"Are you sure that you want to marry me?", she asked abruptly.

"I-I'm sorry?", Newt replied bewildered and shocked by this totally unexpected question.

"Never mind", Tina said downcast, "I'm just being stupid...I just can't get rid of the thought that...that maybe..-"

"Do you...", Newt said concerned, "do you want to say that...**you** don't want to marry me? Because if that's what you're trying to say, Tina-"

"What? No...not at all...it's-", she broke off, unsure how to explain what made her feel this way.

"What is it then?", Newt asked softly, "Did anything happen?", he added encouragingly.

"Not really..nothing in particular...", Tina told him sadly, "It's just...I have no idea what I'm doing", she burst out suddenly.  
"I know nothing about all this wedding stuff, I don't care about dresses or..flower arrangements.. and Queenie and your mother..they are so enthusiastic about all this and I know that I should be as well, but..I'm not...I'm just feeling so useless", she sighed and buried her face in her hands.

"Tina...", she heard Newt's soothing voice and felt how his hand stroked her back. "I don't care about all these things either", he told her sincerely. "I'm not concerned about the colour of the flowers or what dress you wear, the only reason why I'm going through all this stuff is that I'm so desperate to marry you.." She raised her eyes at those words, looked up into his smiling face. "And I'm definitely not going to marry anyone else just because she may be able to arrange flowers properly", he added with a grin and Tina couldn't help but laugh as well.

"But really, Tina", Newt continued genuinely, "all this..it's not important. As long as we end up being married, I'll need nothing more to be happy, happier than you can imagine...and I thought you knew that", he added softly but with a hint of sadness.

"I did", Tina whispered and smiled at him weakly, "I even told Queenie that you wouldn't care about it when we were looking for a dress", she told him. "But..maybe...it just all became a bit too much, I guess..and I needed to hear you say it...although I already knew."

"Well, now you know for sure", Newt said as he stood up and held out his hand to her to help her up as well. "And I can't wait to marry you."

"Me neither", Tina smiled at him and took the hand he offered to her.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Newt stood in his case in front of the ministry official who was obviously uncomfortable, surrounded by all the creatures that had come to watch and see what was happening. His suit was far more comfortable than he had thought, though Theseus had insisted on the traditional black and white, Newt didn't feel any unfamiliarities, for he was so excited and nervous while he looked around to take in every detail of his surroundings. Queenie and Leta had decorated the spot where the ceremony was going to take place, everything was kept in a natural style so it blended perfectly with their environment: chairs and benches made of old wood and partly overgrown with moos, white flowers that hung from the ceiling to build a sort of curtain over the path that was covered with white petals as well, leading from the ladder through the rows of chairs to the front where Newt was already waiting. He smiled when he suddenly saw a figure appearing in the background, someone they had invited but without much hope that he may find time to come because of his many duties. However, there he was, and Newt nodded thankfully in his direction when their eyes met to let Dumbledore know how glad they were to welcome him at the wedding. Beside the chair where Dumbledore had taken a seat stood a large wedding cake, a part of the organization everybody had instantly agreed on was that Jacob would make it, and now it waited to be cut.

Jacob himself, however, had had the honour of being asked to walk Tina down the aisle, and as he appeared with her on his arm, everybody turned to watch. Her dress was simple but elegant, it reminded Newt of the one she had worn at the engagement party, with the bit of lace over the high waist and down the half-long sleeves and the simple white flooding fabric of the skirt - but as he had said, she could have worn anything, he wouldn't have cared, because she was always beautiful to him. He smiled at her as she walked towards him and she smiled back shyly.

"Hey", she said when she finally reached him and he greeted her by smiling even broader and taking her hand as they turned to the ministry official. The ceremony was rather short, the Ministry official seemed to be desperate to get on with things, probably because of the Zouwu that was huddled down nearby. When they finally reached the exchange of vows, Jacob pulled out a handkerchief as a precaution, either to dry his tears or to hide his face in embarrassment, depending on how Newt would manage this. But first, it was Tina's turn.

She faced Newt and took both of his hands in hers and as soon as she began to speak it felt for them as if everything and everyone around them had vanished, the case and the guests disappeared and everything that counted was the other, nothing else mattered than the person in front of them.

"Newt", Tina started and right from the beginning, both of them had tears in their eyes as they looked at each other, "I've already told you some reasons why I love you because you once asked me to, and I hope you didn't forget what I said then, because every single word was true and still is. I could repeat what I said to you, but there's no need for that, because there's so much more..the reasons for my love are almost countless and the hardest thing for me about this speech was to decide what to mention, because if I told you everything that came to my mind, we would probably spend a couple of days here, so I better get on", she laughed.  
"I love you, Newt Scamander", she continued, smiling, " the last time I told you why I named things that were connected to **you **-your clothes, your behaviour, your character-...today, I want to tell you what meeting and loving you has done to **me**, the effects that you have on me, for I don't think that you're really aware of how much you affect me, Newt. Just to see you makes me happy, seeing your smile makes me smile too, I get goosebumps and my heart races when you touch me, you were the first who said that you thought me beautiful...I just feel comfortable and safe when you're around, I already miss you as soon as you leave the room, I just want nothing more than to spend the rest of my days in your company, to be as close to you as possible, because you're the only one who ever gave me the feeling that I'm valued and loved just the way I am."

Newt looked down at her and felt a tear rolling down his cheek, but he didn't care as he took a deep breath to gather himself.

"Tina...", Newt said and you could hear the tears in his voice when he smiled at her, "I really don't know where to begin...there's so much that needs to be said and I've still not decided what it will be that I say now, but a good friend once told me that it's good not to plan such things, that I should just say what comes to me in the moment" (Jacob had tried to suppress his tears to the best of his ability, but now they started to fall freely) "and in this moment Tina, I can think of nothing else but how lucky I am that I'm standing here in front of you, how unbelievably happy it makes me that I'm marrying you, although I'll probably never understand how I've managed to make you fall in love with me...", he paused as he looked down at her and wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye that was about to roll down while she smiled. "You know I'm not good with words...but what I can say is that I love you...I love your passion for what you do, but that you're not ruthless like many Aurors are, you always try to help people, you bring out the best in everyone, or at least in me, and yes, you're beautiful...although I don't think that you're aware of it...I feel like I can't breathe anymore when you're not around, it's like you would somehow enable me to live, to be who I am...I never had that feeling before, Tina, that someone likes me just the way I am, I can be myself around you more than in anyone else's company...To tell the truth, I never thought I would ever get married and it never really bothered me..I didn't believe that anyone could love me, because every reaction to me and my fascination for magical creatures that I knew was that people found me strange..even..unnatural..", he sighed sadly, but in the next moment, his face lit up again. "But then you came around..and you make me so happy, Tina, even happier than I have any right to be, I suppose... but still, you're there, and I can't think of anything more wonderful than to spend every possible second of the rest of my life with you."

Everyone was in tears when they finished and Theseus, Newt's best man, had to gather himself for a second before he could stand up to bring them the rings when the Ministry officials told him to. They exchanged rings, both smiling blissfully, and when it came to the point where they were pronounced husband and wife for the first time and shared a brief but sweet kiss, the applause echoed through the whole case despite the small number of guests.


	15. Chapter 15

_Okay, so first of all, this is becoming reeaally new territory for me so..please be lenient._

_I must admit that I was a bit afraid of writing the part...well,..after the wedding, if you know what I mean, but, here is how it turned ou and I just hope that you like it..._

_I'm quite insecure about this...I'm a little like Newt and Tina when it comes to this, you know...I certainly have a lack of experience myself regarding such stuff... _

_I basically wanted to keep it in a more fluffy way so it wouldn't turn out like...too smutty or something...because I a) wouldn't like writing that and b) somehow don't think it would fit them, at least in my story._ _So I hope I managed to achieve what I imagined..._

_Uhhh..I'm so nervous..._

_o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o_

Tina looked out of the window to see a breathtaking scenery, long blades of grass were swaying in the cold evening wind that blew over the dunes, she could hear the muffled cries of seagulls that were flying in the setting sun, throwing red rays of light over the ocean in the background. She had her arms crossed in front of her body in an attempt to make her feel steadier, while she watched the world outside slowly growing darker.

They were in a beautiful little apartment that had been booked for their..._honeymoon_. Tina gulped when she thought about that word. She tried to concentrate on the view in front of her, wanted to calm the turmoil inside of her that was so unlike the quiet atmosphere outside, but she couldn't help her thoughts constantly returning to this one aspect of marriage that she had been worried about since the day Newt had asked her to become his wife. Tina couldn't deny that she had been secretly looking forward to this evening in a sort of tensed anticipation, but now that it was drawing nearer she was simply overcome by nervousness and even a little fear. She felt silly, a woman of her age and with this...lack of experience.

She wondered if Newt..-?  
_Of course..._, she thought to herself, _not everybody is as naive and prudish as you, Tina, and he's an attractive man, surely he has..._ That was another point she worried about, they had never actually talked about...this night. She had just assumed, that...- but what if he wouldn't want it? Newt was such a private person, she knew how he usually avoided any sort of..personal contact. Tina remembered the evening she had to persuade him to remove his shirt in front of her.  
_But that was because of the scars_, she reminded herself, not very convincing though. Or maybe it had other reasons? Maybe it would just be her, her plain appearance that wasn't...tempting..or maybe he would be deterred when he heard that she was totally inexperienced...  
But then again, what if he wouldn't? When he wanted to do this..with her. Queenie had told her that the first time could be painful and Tina also feared that she wouldn't be able to give him what he wanted.  
_Yes, that would be the worst..._, she thought,_ if he decided to give it a try and then I let him down because I have no idea what I'm doing..._ There were so many possibilities how something could go wrong tonight and Tina tossed and turned them in her head, tried to decide which one was most likely or the least horrible.  
_Maybe it would be best if we just...wouldn't..._, she was about to consider when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Newt had stepped behind her, distracting her from her fears for a moment, and she laid a hand on his, grateful for this little gesture of warmth and support.

"It's just beautiful, isn't it?", she said and pointed at the sunset behind the window.

"Yes it is indeed", he replied from behind, "beautiful..."  
What Tina couldn't see was that he wasn't referring to the scenery, for his eyes were resting on her as he spoke.

Tina kept staring at a point outside, afraid that her nerves would get the better of her when she dared to look at him. She took a deep breath to gather herself and closed her eyes in an attempt to calm down at last.

"It's alright", she heard Newt's voice, who could feel her tension, "I'm nervous too."

Tina suddenly turned around at this confession, taken by surprise, and looked at him with a mixture of doubt and hope in her eyes.

"Are you really?", she asked and he smiled reassuringly when he heard her voice slightly trembling.

"Of course", he assured her, "very much, actually..."

"And you're not just saying that to make me feel better?", she asked, not convinced. Newt couldn't suppress a chuckle at this question, because it sounded so ridiculous regarding his inner condition. _If she knew... _

"No..", he said and shook his head, "certainly not."

Tina smiled relieved when she heard this, but then her nerves returned all of a sudden, and Newt saw the smile vanishing.

"I'm feeling so stupid, Newt", she whispered, staring at his chest, unable to look at him.  
"I-...you know...I have never...- I-I've never done this before", she pressed out. She knew that she had to tell him, before they-...  
But she feared his reaction to this confession and kept gazing down, waiting in tensed anticipation.  
"I understand if you...don't want to..now that you know that I'm...inexperienced", she added sadly when he remained silent.  
"Or even if you didn't want to in the first place..."

"Thank goodness...", she suddenly heard Newt breathe out in what sounded like relief and she had to raise her eyes.

"What?"

"You can't imagine how lucky I am that you say that...I was..afraid...that you wouldn't want it when you heard that I...haven't done this before either", he admitted and blushed furiously.

"You haven't?", Tina asked, clear surprise in her voice.  
"I thought you..you would.."

"No, I-I haven't", he said, gazing on the floor, "I...was never...interested in anyone..that way...not before you came", he told her, his voice no more than a whisper.

"But..you want it...now?", she asked with tears in her eyes, "with..me?"

"I-I..would", he admitted quietly, still unable to look at her, "but...I don't want you to feel pressed to anything, Tina", he said then firmly as he raised his gaze, "I would never do anything you're uncomfortable with..you know, you only have to say one word and we'll never raise the matter again", he assured her and Tina felt how pure love flooded through her as she heard this, how he told her that he would accept anything she decided, that he would put her needs and wishes above his own.

"No..", she replied softly, "I would never think that...I trust you Newt, and...I hoped very much that..you would want this..want me...because...I do too", she confessed as she put her hands on his chest.

"Really?" Tina nodded and let her head join her hands, leaning against him, she listened to his heartbeat and for the first time since she stood here in front of the window, she felt how she calmed down, comforted as he laid his arms around her.

"Maybe we can...learn it together?", Newt suggested while he rested his chin on her head.

"I'd like that", he heard her muffled answer through the fabric of his shirt.  
"But for now..would it be okay if we just stood here for a moment?", she asked then, hesitantly.

"Totally", he said and placed a kiss on her hair.  
"There's no rush, Tina...we have time", he whispered soothingly and heard how she murmured her agreement.

"I love you", he finally added, before they remained silent and felt how her mouth formed a smile against his chest as she sighed contently, every worry and fear that had troubled them earlier blown away like a grain of sand in the wind outside the window.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

They had stood at the window for a couple of minutes, both just wanting to enjoy the comforting warmth and support of the other, before they had let go reluctantly and decided to have a little snack to calm their nerves. They had chatted about this and that, mainly the wedding, of course, for it was still so new and fresh in their minds and they nearly forgot what was to come afterwards. The time on the clock kept going on inexorably and the last lights from outside had long vanished when Tina failed in suppressing a yawn.

"Maybe we should...", Newt suggested when he saw it and felt how his nervousness returned.

"Yeah, maybe...", Tina agreed, no less stained, although both tried to hide it.

"You can go to the bathroom first", Newt said, "I'll see after my -", he broke off, suddenly realising that he hadn't brought his case with him. Tina had said that it wouldn't be a problem, but he had decided that he wanted to concentrate on her, and only her, during this weekend, so he had insisted on leaving it in Bunty's care. Now, however, he wished he had his creatures to distract him. "I'll...unpack", he said, for it was the only other occupation that came to his mind and he knew that he would go mad when he didn't do anything.

"Alright", Tina smiled and went through the room to get the case she would need for her evening routine. Newt looked after her when she took it and made her way to the bathroom door, where she turned around and gave him a last insecure smile before she disappeared inside.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Tina was leaned forward, supported herself with her hands on the edges of the washbasin and stared into the mirror. The calmness and composure of the last hours had vanished, leaving her more stained and agitated than ever before. She had already finished everything except for choosing her nightgown, but she needed a moment to gather herself before she could find the courage to go through what Queenie had packed. Looking back, it may not have been the best idea to let her sister plan everything that concerned Tina and her honeymoon, but as she herself didn't know anything about such things, she had considered it best to relay on Queenie's experience. With slightly trembling fingers Tina opened the zip of her case and looked down at its contents in horror: negligees in different colours piled up inside of it, one more low cut and nearly transparent than the other - unnecessary to mention that Tina had never seen one of them before, let alone owned anything like this...Queenie must have bought them, especially for this occasion.

"Queenie!?", Tina cursed horrified as she rummaged through the case, desperately searching for something that she could possibly wear without fainting on the spot as soon as Newt saw her.

"Oh, thank God..", the breathed relieved when she finally found her familiar pyjamas on the bottom of the case - apparently Queenie hadn't been able to send her sister away without a sort of sheet-anchor, although she may have hoped that Tina wouldn't find it, because it was hidden under everything else in the case.

Finally finished, Tina put everything back into place and checked several times that the case was closed, so Newt wouldn't see its contents. Still very nervous, but a little more comfortable now that she wore what she was so used to, she took a deep breath and opened the door of the bathroom.

Newt was nowhere to be seen when she entered the bedroom.

"Newt?", she called and heard his answer from somewhere else in the apartment.

"I've finished", she informed him.

"Alright, I go then", he called back, "won't take long", he added as she heard the bathroom door open and close again.

Tina felt how her nerves rose as she stared at the big double bed in front of her before she lifted the covers and climbed onto it. She waited in nervous anticipation, sitting upright against the pillows, the blanket neatly spread over her legs and up to her waist. She tensed almost inconspicuously when Newt finally entered the room, but she smiled when she saw that his nervous expression matched her own when he came to sit under the blanket next to her.

"Are you...are you tired?", he asked after some moments of slightly uncomfortable silence.  
"Because if you want to sleep-"

"No", Tina interrupted him, surprised about her own courage. "I'm not tired. Not at all."

"Good..", he smiled weakly to his hands that were wringing nervously. "Me neither.."

A few seconds of silence passed again, in which both could feel the tensed anticipation in the atmosphere, until...

"Tina", Newt said and turned his body to look at her. "Can I kiss you?"

"Of course", she breathed and watched him as he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips - gentle and cautious, almost chaste. Tina felt how her body glided out of her sitting position until she lay on her back and he leaned over her, looking down with a look on his face she had never seen before, or maybe she just hadn't been aware of it. Realising that she was wearing her old pyjamas, she wished for a second that she had chosen one of Queenie's nightgowns. Feeling exposed under the mercy of his gaze, Tina covered her face with both hands as she blushed.

"I know it's not...-", she murmured through her hands in embarrassment, "it's...I'm rather plain and-"

"Wonderful", Tina heard Newt's voice and felt how he leaned down to place a kiss on one of her hands that covered her face.

"Don't", he whispered softly while kissing the other, "please...there's no need, Tina..trust me." She felt how he grabbed her wrists and she let it happen as he gently pulled her hands down. The smile that greeted her when she looked up at him warmed every fibre in her body and she closed her eyes when he kissed her again.

"Beautiful...", she heard him murmur between kisses on her cheeks, her forehead, her lips and finally her nose what made her giggle. "My beautiful, beautiful Tina.."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him closer, they kissed until they had to catch breath and Newt watched as a smile spread across her face when she gazed back up at him.

"Are you sure that you want this?", he asked cautiously and happiness flooded through him when she nodded.

"Yes", she said firmly. "Are you?"

"I have never been so sure about anything...Maybe except for wanting to marry you", he added then, grinning and she laughed before both became serious again.

"I love you", she smiled, "and I trust you, Newt, don't forget that."

"I love you too", he breathed when he leaned down to kiss her again and Tina closed her eyes.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

They lay under the blanket, both still a bit breathless, Newt had laid an arm around Tina and she was cuddled into his side, her head rested on his chest while one of her hands drew patterns between his freckles and followed the lines of his scars.

"You have some scars too", Newt stated as he let his thumb brush over one of them on her back.

"Hmmm", Tina confirmed,  
"From work...I didn't want you to see them at first..", she admitted quietly, "what sounds rather ridiculous now, after what I told you about yours, but still-.."

"It is", Newt interrupted her,  
"You're so beautiful, Tina..and nothing could change that.." She felt how he placed a kiss on her hair and she sighed contently. For a while, they just lay there in silence, Newt was absent-mindedly stroking the smooth skin at her back when he suddenly felt something wet on his chest and noticed that Tina was slightly trembling. Alarmed, he raised his head and looked at her, horrified when he saw that she was crying.

"Tina?", he said shocked, "Tina, my love, what's the matter? Did I hurt you?", he asked worriedly, watching in relief how she shook her head.

"No! No..", she laughed through her tears and turned on his chest so she could face him. "No..not at all", she promised as she stroked his cheek.  
"I'm just being foolish, Newt, silly overwhelming emotions of women, you know..."  
She laughed even more at his confused expression.  
"I'm just so happy", she explained and watched as his face lid up.

"So...happy tears?", Newt asked insecurely, eyebrows raised.

"Happy tears", Tina confirmed and placed a quick kiss on his lips before turning around and cuddling into his side again.

"I've never been happier...in all my life", she sighed and her breath tickled his chest.

"Me neither..", Newt said, "I still can't believe that you're my wife", he continued.

"Better believe it", Tina grinned, "you'll have to get used to the thought sooner or later", and he chuckled.

"I love you", Newt whispered as he closed his eyes.

"I love you too", was the last thing he heard before they both drifted off to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

_Now, this is going to be the last part…I'm so grateful for everyone who read until now, many many thanks to you…and as I'm always trying to develop in my writing as I'm not very experienced, comments are always very appreciated!_

_o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o_

Newt looked down at the sleeping Tina next to him and marvelled at the sight. He knew she had been rather self-conscious the night before, worried that he wouldn't find her attractive enough, and he slightly shook his head at the ridiculousness of that thought. He couldn't understand how she could think herself plain - it was true, her beauty wasn't as obvious as her sister's, it was more subtle, but that made it even more attractive in his eyes.

He watched how her body slightly lifted and fell in the slow rhythm of her calm breathing, her hair had fallen into her face, the dark shade made a beautiful contrast against her pale skin. Newt could simply admire the way she looked at that moment, wanting to commit the image to his memory. This was **his**Tina, not Tina the Auror, or Tina Queenie's sister...**his** Tina was caring and compassionate, with a soft smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes. He absent-mindedly lifted his hand and brushed his thumb over her lips that formed this exact smile he loved so much, not even aware of his action as he just watched. She stirred at the touch of his hand and he pulled it back as he awoke from his trance, still looking at her when she cuddled closer to him, eyes still closed. At first, he thought that she was still asleep, but then he heard a sleepily mumbled "Morning" against his chest.

"Good morning", he whispered back and kissed her hair, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up, but I just couldn't help myself", he smiled apologetically.

"Hmm..", she hummed as she laid her head back and opened her eyes to look up at him.  
"It's alright...I quite like to be woken up like this, to be honest...could get used to it", she grinned and placed a quick kiss on his chest.

"Me too", Newt smiled back and reached down to kiss her properly. Tina was glad to let it happen and laid an arm around his neck to deepen the kiss before they broke apart and she cuddled into his side again.

"It feels strange, doesn't it?", Newt said as he let his fingers brush through her hair, "to be married...I mean..it's real, we **actually** got married."

"I know, I was there", Tina replied with pretended seriousness before they both chuckled.  
"But I know what you mean..", she assured him when they had calmed down again.

They fell into a comfortable silence while Tina started to draw patterns between the freckles on his chest and Newt closed his eyes to enjoy her touch.

"This has been far better than I imagined...", he heard her murmur after a while. She sounded absent-minded, as if she were rather speaking with herself, while she watched her own finger gliding over his skin.

"My...chest?", Newt asked confused for he hadn't followed Tina's train of thoughts.

She rolled her eyes at him but smiled fondly.  
"Well, that too, I suppose", she laughed lightly before she became serious again.  
"But I meant...last night, actually...I was so nervous, Newt, but...I think that we did quite well..regarding our..inexperience...", she trailed off and was glad that she could hide the fact that she was blushing by burying her face in his side.

"You think so?", Newt asked hopefully.

"Yeah..", Tina said, "at least..when it felt for you as it did for me, then it was...-"

"Hm", Newt agreed happily. "Yes, I know what you mean..and you were perfect", he added, for he could feel the bit of insecurity she had still left about herself. "Absolutely perfect.."

"Thank you", she whispered and rested her head on his shoulder. "Not only for that", she added then, "but also...- I'm aware of.. that you tried to be careful last night..and..I wanted you to know that I noticed..and that I'm grateful", she whispered. "You're always so considerate towards me, look after me and my needs before your own and-...thank you", she finished and placed a kiss on his shoulder.

"You don't have to thank me", Newt assured her softly and stroked a lost strain of hair behind her ear.  
"I don't mind taking care of you, on the contrary", he told her, "I want you to be happy...and..all I need to be happy myself is to know that you are."

"I am happy", Tina smiled at him sincerely, "very happy...because **you** make me happy."

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

"It's so beautiful here", Tina said as she was walking along the beach on Newt's arm. It was a warm and sunny day, seagulls were flying over their heads and their cries mixed with the sound of the waves, their footsteps on the sand and the wind that played in their hair.  
Newt smiled down at her and watched how she let her gaze wander over the ocean.

"I'm so glad that you found me...", she suddenly whispered.

"What do you mean?", Newt asked confused.

"My life has changed so much since you came to New York...", she explained, "It just felt like a miracle that we found each other, didn't it? I mean, to love and to be loved...but not anymore now."  
He knew exactly what she meant. It had been so strange at first, so curious, almost too good to be true, especially as they had never experienced such happiness before, and hadn't expected to either. But now they knew that they deserved it, that they deserved to be happy, as much as everybody else.

"Sometimes...when I came to MACUSA...to pick you up after work", he said without thinking as the memory occurred to him, "I could hear some of the other Aurors talking..they obviously didn't know that I was there, because they said..they were wondering about..-", he broke off, suddenly thinking that it would have been better not to mention it.

"About what?", Tina wanted to know, curious why he had led the conversation in this direction. Newt sighed, knowing that he would have to tell her now.

"They were talking about us, our marriage", he told her. "The reasons for it, actually. They said that..that they couldn't understand why someone should marry me if not because she was after the money from my book and...so they wondered why you would, because it doesn't seem like you're interested in that", he smiled weakly.  
"I know that this wasn't your reason", he assured her when he saw her shocked expression.  
"I've never questioned your intentions, Tina, not in the least, I would never think something like that about you...I-I just wanted to thank you", he said lovingly, "that you understand me like nobody else ever has, that there's no need for me to..-", he trailed off, apparently not capable of expressing his feelings properly. But it was like he had said – there was no need, she understood him.

Tina clenched her fists, tried to suppress the anger towards her colleges that flooded through her. How could they dare to say something like that? She was glad that she didn't know who exactly had said it, for otherwise she wasn't sure what she had done the next time she saw them. She knew that Newt was someone who acted after what he thought to be right, independent of what others might think about it - that was one of his qualities she admired the most. But that didn't mean that he couldn't be hurt by something so..cruel and-

"They were at least partly right ", she said, swallowing her anger to the best of her ability, "I **don't** care about the money. Although I'm so proud of you having written this book. And I love the creatures as well, more and more actually, since I read the book and get to spend so much time with them."  
Newt tried to smile at her words, but it wasn't very convincing.

"**I** have to be thankful, you know", she therefore whispered truthfully.  
"You're extraordinary."  
Newt gave her a very disbelieving look.

"That's ridiculous", he said, but smiled sincerely now. Tina chuckled and slightly shook her head at this commenth. She couldn't understand why he was always thinking so poorly of himself.  
_But really Tina, you are the last person who can judge about __**that**__..._ So she stayed silent, just squeezing his hand and leaning more firmly into his side in return. She didn't want to argue with him right now, maybe this was a discussion for another time.

They strolled on for a while, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, until Tina broke the comfortable silence.

"Do you miss your creatures?", she asked.

"That's more difficult to answer than you might think..", he said, slightly surprised by the question. "Of course I miss them, they're a sort of family to me, at some point in my life they were the only family I had and I'm not used to not having them around", he explained, "but I'm so happy to be here with you..most of the day I don't have time to think about missing them, you know...and if I do, it helps to read a little in my book", he admitted with a smile. "Speaking of which", he continued, "I have a little surprise for you, related to my book, I almost forgot it, but I'll show you when we get back to the apartment."

"What is it?", Tina asked excitedly and Newt chuckled.

"I won't tell you. It wouldn't be a surprise if I did, would it? It's no big deal anyway, I'm not even sure if you'll like it", he said, suddenly slightly concerned.

"I'm sure I will", Tina assured him. "Come on, let's get back, I want to see it as soon as possible!"

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

"Will you tell me now?", Tina asked momentarily when they had entered the apartment. Newt chuckled again at her impatience. She had tried to get it out of him during their whole way back, but he hadn't let himself be talked round into giving it away.  
It had been only yesterday that his agent had sent him a copy of the new edition he had ordered to print and now it waited in the drawer of his bedside table.

"I won't tell you", he answered with a smirk, "but I will **show** you", he added and Tina's expression lit up instantly.  
"Come", he said and held out his hand to her. Tina took it gladly and he led her into their bedroom, where she sat down on the bed while Newt opened the drawer and took the book out.

"Here", he said as he sat down beside her. Tina opened the book and flicked through it, curious about what he might want to show her, but couldn't find any difference to the one she had already read, so she glanced at him with a questioning look.

"Did you read the part "About the author" in the copy you first received?", he asked and Tina nodded.

"And do you remember what it said?"

"Not every word, but...something about your mother breeding hippogriffs, that you are a studied magizoologist, that you have travelled very much so you can study different kinds of magical creatures..."

"Mhm", Newt confirmed. "Look what it says now", he told her and nodded towards the book in her hand, smiling insecurely. Tina flicked to the last pages, where she found what she was looking for. She began to read, the text seemed to be as she remembered it at first, but then, when she reached the end-

"When he isn't travelling with her, he lives together with his wife Porpentina", she whispered to herself, reading the last sentence.

"I know it's not much", Newt said shyly, "but I thought I should...I wanted to..at least mention...my..**our**..new situation..." He trailed off when Tina just kept staring at the words in front of her.  
"Do you like it?", he asked, a little concerned now. "I know, maybe I should have asked you before...get your permission or-...but I thought-"

"Newt, I love it", Tina interrupted him, detaching her gaze from the page.  
"Thank you", she said with a bright smile.

"So you don't mind?", he asked with a wry smile. "It's only a small sentence though, nothing overly grand or romantic, I'm afraid-"

"You don't understand", Tina said firmly, "it means so much to me to read **that** in your book."

"What? That we travel together?", he asked puzzled.

"No", she replied, rolling her eyes fondly. "That I'm your **wife**. And as long as that's what I can call myself I don't care where we go or what we do, I know that whatever the future may bring will be wonderful, because it will be **our** future."


End file.
